Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero
by xFullmetalSoulx
Summary: A year has passed since the events with Chaos. Elysia is still missing, and all her friends, even her sister, have no memory of her sacrifice. Now, the time comes where they need her once more. Join new and old characters on their journey to find the forgotten hero. *Sequel Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers*
1. OC's Needed

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_**If you just arrived, you do not need to worry about this. Skip to the fourth "chapter." That's where the real story starts! This was for a limited time.**_

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Hey everyone! I am writing a new story called **Percy Jackson and the Case of the Missing Campers**. I need a some OC's. I won't be posting the story until around the time I finish it, so don't expect the story to be soon. Be aware the OC's I have may not be EXTREMELY important at the begining, but all of them will have some role to play. I promise you that. Please, only one OC per person (I don't need a LOT, but a fair amount!).

***Summary: **About a month after the Giant War, both the Roman and Greek camps have been dwindling in numbers. Campers are disappearing mysteriously, leaving no trace of evidence on how to find them, where they are, or whether or not they are even alive. They simply vanished. Once they decide something very strange and bad is happeneing, the Romans and Greeks team up once again to stop the problem before it's too late. Will they solve the mysterey before they vanish, too? Includes new and old campers.

_(DON'T BE STUPID AND MEAN. DO NOT STEAL IDEAS!)_

**Required Information:**

Name (first and last)

Age (19 and under, please!)

Gender

Godly parent (please no Big Three)

Appearance

Roman or Greek

**Optional Information:**

Story (How you got to Camp Half Blood or Camp Jupiter)

Personality

Clothes you wear

Hunter/Amazon

Weapon(s)

Mortal Parent (story or name)

***NOTE:** I may end up changing the optional history if it works better with the story!

Thanks to anyone willing to submit OC's! I promise I am working hard on writing it!


	2. OC LIST

Hello, everyone! I want you to know that OC Submission has closed, but... I've already made my decisions on who would fit best for the story. Please be aware that there are two OC's that belong to close friends of mine that were not submitted online. They are considered to be main characters. Since I actually know them and promised they could be in this story, I want you to know that that's the reason they seem so important.

Ok, now for the OC's that made it in!

**Main Characters**:

Rhea Jones

Zayne Knight

Jay O'Connor

Elysia Rook

Lucie Rook (the Rook sisters are the ones my friends created.)

**Semi-Important Characters:**

Liz Bleu

Eileen Nakamura

Arianna Martinez

Aviander Tosolo

**Mentioned Characters:**

Ajax Stone

Bryony Hill

Raymond Jones (unrelated to Rhea)

Lola Cullen

Elisa Morrison

Lauren Samos

Sabrina Burke

Amythest Nightshade

Analyse Fay

Oddette Heaven

Ivy Rockwell

Audrey Hall

Ally Sanchez

Nicole Parker

**_Please note that this could always change_**. I got way more OC's than I thought I would. Some of the characters on the Mentioned list might end up Semi-Important, and some of the OC's on the Semi-Important list could move down or up. I have only just begun writing the second chapter. For those of you unfamilliar to my writing, (which I take is most of you), I update around once a week, and the updates are usually 2,000+ words. Sometimes over 3,000. Occasionally, there will be a shorter chapter in there. Also, I want to mention that I won't be posting anything of **Percy Jackson and the Case of the Missing Campers** until I am near the end of writing it. I have no idea how long it will take. Please note that this story is my first priority at this point. Thanks to all who submitted OC's!

I really am sorry not all of them will have a major part in the story.

**OH, ONE LAST THING! **I know I said before I may end up changing the optional history. I want to remind you that, because while planning this story out, I decided it would be better to have some of the OC's stories changed. Also know that I may change whether or not your OC is Greek, because I have too many Greeks and not enough Romans. **PLEASE STORY ALERT THIS STORY. It will let you know of any OC changes, and when I eventually start posting PJatCotMC, it will be through this story, just with the name changed. THANKS!**


	3. Sneak Peek!

**Percy Jackson & the Case of the Missing Campers**

_Okay, fessup time. I felt lazy for not posting anything at all of this story, not even a sneak peek! That's why I'm posting this. If you're curious, I'm about 1/3 of the way done with the story, and I'm actually working faster than I ever have. Maybe when I get to 2/3, I'll actually post the first chapter. Anyway, I thank you for your patience, and this is for you all who are really looking forward to this._

_So, below this line is the sneak peek to the first chapter. Underneath the second line is the prophecy. Cut me some slack on the prophecy, too. I'm not much of a poet, and the prophecies all rhyme. I would like to hear critisism in a nice way. Thanks!_

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><p>Elysia Rook jabbed her sword into the lion's paw, but the thing was made of solid gold or something, because her sword hit it with a <em>clang<em> and it scratched her arm, leaving three gashes that went almost to the bone. She couldn't register the pain, because her little sister _wasn't_ going to die if she could help it. "Lucie! Run with Jasper into the camp!" she yelled.

"I'm not leaving you!"

Elysia dodged another swipe from the Nemean Lion. "Go NOW!"

She ran backwards and realized: the lion was only invulnerable on its body. If she could only get the right strike in its mouth, it would die. She should have attacked it right then, but she decided that when she backed up against a huge pine tree, she was going to ride the thing. She jumped on its back, using her loose belt as a collar. She wrapped it around the lion's neck and it went crazy. She adjusted her hands so she had her sword hand free.

As she looked up, just for a second, she saw Lucie on the other side of the gate. Relief replenished her strength, and she pried open the lion's mouth with her sword. Then, she saw Lucie's dagger on the ground next to her. She jumped off, picked the dagger up, and ran straight to the lion. Elysia's sword was stuck in between its teeth. With its mouth wide open, she jabbed upward with her good side. The lion went wild, and Elysia's arm banged against the sharp teeth. Then, the life went out of lion, and it morphed into a coat.

Elysia's eyesight was getting blurry. She fell to the ground, feeling lightheaded and weak. Her eyes slid closed, and she blacked out.

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><p>"<em>The daughter of death shall lead the group of nine,<em>

_Up the north and to the west, enclosed in endless pine,_

_Where the evil stirs, for only sacrifice to save,_

_To bring those back from beyond the grave,_

_And despair without a hero's hand,_

_To be lost in unfamiliar land."_

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><p><strong>There you have it. I hope this tides you all over until I actually start posting this story regularly. If you want that to speed along... here's a magic spell...<strong>

**REVIEW!  
>Revoir. <strong>**Recensere. Epanexetázei.**

**If you didn't know, that was review in English, French, Latin, and Greek. (Not Ancient. I'm not that talented yet.)**


	4. Part One: Chapter I

_READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE!_

_Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for your patience! It's paid off tremendously, and I am happy to post this today. For those who want to know, I am working on chapter 11. I expect the story have around 20-25 chapters, but I decided to post this early. I promise more OC's will come in later. Just hang on tight after this slow beginning!_

_**Disclaimer: Hmm... Is Rick Riordan a girl who writes fanfictions? I think not.**_

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><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; the Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

I

Percy Jackson sat down next to Annabeth at the beach of the Canoe Lake, holding hands, thinking grimly of all the campers that had been going missing lately, never to return. "Annabeth, what are we supposed to do? Even the Romans have reported that some demigods went missing since after the Giant War. Frank's one of them," Percy muttered to Annabeth.

"Percy, I know. Everyone's frantically looking for them. Has Chiron asked you to talk to Rachel?"

"She's still away at Clarion, and won't be back until this weekend. She's tried giving me prophecies over the phone, but it just doesn't work."

"Percy, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"It's not anything to do with the giants. I have a bad feeling it's something even worse, which these are the times I hate the whole demigod sense thing. This feeling is stirring in the bottom of my stomach. Nico's reported they aren't dead. Our best trackers can't find them. Where are they?"

Silence drifted upon the two. Then, hesitantly, Annabeth said, "What if one of us is next?"

"We'll just have to hope that doesn't happen."

"Do the gods have anything to do with this?"

"No, but they all are acting strange, like they know what's going on, but won't say anything."

"Let's hope we figure out what is happening before more go missing. You know, I think I'll do research when I get back to the Athena cabin. I have a feeling we're dealing with something that has been seen before. I think I should go now, and you should IM Jason and Reyna to discuss this mystery. Maybe we should have them fly, seeing as you can't. Since it's involving all of our campers, we'll all need to talk to Rachel."

Percy nodded, not wanting to say anything. He hated the idea that his campers and the Roman campers were all disappearing. Camp Half Blood lost one fourth of its campers.

The whole camp was mourning. Of the missing were Connor Stoll, Butch, Will Solace, Drew (who nobody missed), Jake Mason, Nyssa, and Thalia. A bunch of other newer recruits were missing as well, for example, Ivy Rockwell, Ally Sanchez, Elisa Morrison, Analyse Fay, and Lauren Samos. Several others that Percy didn't know well were missing, too.

Annabeth kissed Percy's cheek and walked back toward the Athena cabin. Percy still sat there, gloomily gazing over the dark grey lake water before him. _Dad, please help me. I just can't accept that Thalia and all the rest of the missing are hurt in some way. If there's a way you can help, please. I don't ask much._

Suddenly, a loud scream came from somewhere far, far, far behind him. Percy ran the direction it was coming from: Half Blood Hill.

Elysia Rook jabbed her sword into the lion's paw, but the thing was made of solid gold or something, because her sword hit it with a _clang_ and it scratched her arm, leaving three gashes that went almost to the bone. She couldn't register the pain, because her little sister wasn't going to die. "Lucie! Run with Jasper into the camp!" she yelled.

"I'm not leaving you!"

Elysia dodged another swipe from the Nemean Lion. "Go NOW!"

She ran backwards and realized: the lion was only invulnerable on its body. If she could only get the right strike in its mouth, it would die. She should have attacked it right then, but she decided that when she backed up against a huge pine tree, she was going to ride the thing. She jumped on its back, using her belt as a harness. She wrapped it around the lion's neck and it went crazy. She adjusted her hands so she had her sword hand free.

As she looked up, just for a second, she saw Lucie on the other side of the gate. Relief replenished her strength, and she pried open the lion's mouth with her sword. Then, she saw Lucie's dagger on the ground next to her. She jumped off, picked the dagger up, and ran straight to the lion. Elysia's sword was stuck in between its teeth. With its mouth wide open, she jabbed upward with her good side. The lion went wild, and Elysia's arm banged against the sharp teeth. Then, the life went out of lion, and it morphed into a coat.

Elysia's eyesight was getting blurry. She fell to the ground, feeling lightheaded and weak. Her eyes slid closed, and she blacked out.

Percy Jackson ran to the other side of the hill, barely seeing a satyr with a twelve year old girl. He just knew that they hadn't been in the fight. Neither was harmed. He continued running until he came across a roughly sixteen year old girl with pitch black hair, pale skin, and two severely wounded arms. "Can you hear me?" he asked.

The girl didn't respond. In her hand was a dagger similar to Annabeth's. Two feet in front of her was a Stygian Iron sword, identical to Nico's, and a coat he recognized instantly: the Nemean Lion coat. A backpack was also near the entrance to Camp Half Blood. Percy lifted her up and began to move swiftly to the Big House.

Annabeth ran to him. "Oh my gods!"

"Annabeth, get the dagger, the sword, the jacket, and her backpack. I couldn't carry everything."

She nodded, and then ran off. Suddenly, the twelve year old he saw earlier ran up to him, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "Is my sister going to be okay?" she asked, running alongside Percy.

"Who are you?" Percy asked, picking up pace.

"I'm Lucie. My sister is Elysia."

"Go back to your satyr. I promise I'll let you know if she's alright." After Percy said that, he ran to the Big House, surprising Mr. D and Chiron, who hadn't heard the fight. "Chiron, can you heal her while I go and get an Apollo medic? She's lost a lot of blood." He nodded, and Percy ran out of the Big House, straight for the archery range, where the Apollo kids most likely were.

Liz Bleu, a fifteen year old Apollo child, looked to Percy in surprise as he came running to the archery range. "Percy? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Liz, you need to help a demigod. I just found her, but she's in bad shape."

"Okay, then let's go," she said, and they ran back to the Big House together. By the time they both reached there, Chiron had given her nectar, but the wounds were too severe to give her more than he gave her.

"She'll need your aid, Elizabeth," he said to Liz. Only Chiron could call her Elizabeth without someone getting hurt.

"You are right, Chiron. Percy, get me some gauze. The nectar should take affect soon, but her shoulder was dislocated when she was scratched. What in Hades' name attacked her?" Liz muttered.

Percy handed her the gauze and said, "The Nemean Lion."

"Wow. Is it dead?" Liz asked as she wrapped the gauze around the scratch.

"She killed it before I got there. I remember when I killed that a few years back," Percy reminisced.

"I wish I had the chance to kill something as great as the Nemean Lion. You're lucky, Percy. Lucky you've had near death experiences."

Percy didn't think it was lucky. He thought it was very _un_lucky. The only somewhat normal year he'd ever had was when he first met Tyson. Other than that, he couldn't think of a time where he _hadn't_ had a near death experience. Instead of responding with anything, he watched as she tended to Elysia's wounds and mumbled some kind of prayer to Apollo.

He decided to leave her to do what she had to before he left to find Annabeth on the Big House porch, standing next to a table with the sword, dagger, backpack, and coat. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she replied. "I got everything you asked for. Do you know who she is? She is too old not to be claimed…" Annabeth mentioned.

Percy shook his head. "I have no idea. I do know she came in with a twelve year old, though. Oh, and a satyr. We should go find them."

"Yes, we need to find them."

After a few minutes of walking around, they found the satyr and the girl, Lucie, sitting in the amphitheater. Lucie shared her sister's dark hair, but it wasn't the same shade. Elysia's was much darker. Lucie's looked more like Percy's, and she had a light tan, as opposed to Elysia, who didn't have any hint of a tan. Lucie's eyes were a light sea blue, like the Caribbean water. Then it struck him: could he have two new sisters? He hadn't seen Elysia's eyes, but they had to be blue as well.

"Lucie?" he asked her.

"Percy," she greeted flatly. "How is my sister?"

"She'll be okay. We have an Apollo medic with her right now. Oh, and this is Annabeth," he said, gesturing to his right.

"How old are you?" Annabeth asked.

"Almost fourteen, and yes, I know I am short for my age. If your next question is who do I think my godly parent is, then I'll tell you I have no idea. Mom never knew that she fell in love with a god. It wasn't until I was attacked at school with my sister that she figured it out."

"When were you attacked?" Annabeth asked.

"I was nine. Elysia was twelve. We talked to a satyr at our school, but he was killed in an attack. My sister and I ran away from that fight. Since then, we'd been attacked a lot, but somehow, my sister learned how to keep us away from fights. Occasionally, a monster would find us, but she'd fight it off. Then a boy came. Nico, I think he said that's what his name is. He told Elysia that she could come to Camp Half Blood, but she declined. She wanted us to stay with our mom."

"Wait, Nico came?"

"Mhmm. A boy named Nico found her and said she could live here. But then… Jasper found us at Westwood High School in Buffalo. He told us we needed to go to camp, because something weird was happening."

The satyr spoke up. "I figured that with the disappearings that they would be safer here than out in the mortal world."

"He took us here, but Hades kept sending minions our way. They never seemed to want to hurt Ely, though… she somehow killed a fury."

"Gods, you know a lot about Greek Mythology…" Percy said, thinking of how clueless he was when he first arrived. This girl knew much more than he would have thought.

"Well, when you find out you're a demigod at age nine, you do your research. My sister knows more than I do, though. She's too protective of me. She needs to know that I can fight, too. I'm not in need of defending. But today…" she grouchily turned to Jasper, the satyr. "You dragged me from the fight. I'm so getting you back for that, goat boy." She hit him on the arm, and he winced.

Percy laughed, because the situation reminded him of Grover. He and Annabeth always called him goat boy.

"What's so funny?" Lucie asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annabeth holding back a smile. "Nothing, Lucie. I just have a satyr friend I call goat boy."

She smiled, but it was short lived. "Where are our things? My sister would kill anyone who touched the sword Nico gave her. I don't want anyone touching my dagger, either, though I don't really like fighting with it."

"They are at the Big House. Your sister is there, too. Along with the Nemean Lion pelt."

"You mean my sister slayed it?" she asked with a small smile on her face. "I knew she would. I want to see her now."

They all began to walk to the Big House, and as they passed by things or places of importance, Annabeth pointed it out to Lucie. When they arrived, they saw Liz sitting outside on the porch. "Hey," she greeted enthusiastically. "She's awake and asking for Lucie."

Lucie ran inside. "Hi, Ely."

"Hey, Lucie. I am glad you're alright," Elysia said, biting her lower lip.

"How bad does it hurt?" Lucie asked her sister.

"Bad, but the nectar is helping. A medic helped, too. She said I should be okay in an hour or so. Lucie, can you get me my sword? I want to change it back into my ring," she asked. Lucie stood and grabbed Iroida, Elysia's sword. Elysia thought the name suited when Nico told her the meaning meant heroine, as in female hero. The blade only responded to powerful females.

When Lucie brought it back to her sister, Percy watched as she ran her finger down the blade, and it morphed into a small skull ring exactly like Nico's. She put the ring on, smiling as she did so.

Percy was really confused. Neither demigod had been claimed yet, but he wasn't sure what to make of the two sisters. Elysia and her sister definitely were related, but each had different traits that usually indicated other godly parents.

He walked away from the Big House, trying to decide who their godly parent was. It was almost lunch time, so he went towards the dining pavilion and decided to talk to Nico, who just walked in.

"Dude, I heard a very strange story about a demigod named Elysia, and you were in it. You want to explain something?"

Nico's face went from his normal scowl to a mega frown. "How did you know about that?"

"She was attacked at Half Blood Hill a while ago."

Then, the frown turned to worry. "Is she alright? What about Lucie?"

"They're both fine. Elysia's a little banged up, but she'll live. Now explain why you went to visit them," Percy pushed. For some reason, he really needed to know the answer. Maybe it was that it bugged him, the not knowing.

Nico sighed. "You'll understand why soon enough. Are they both coming to lunch? I guarantee they will be claimed if they come."

"I don't think Elysia will make it, but we'll see. Are they children of Hades?"

"Kind of."

"Is one of them Roman?" Percy assumed that was it.

"Well, they are definitely siblings. Wait until they are claimed. Everything will make sense then. These two are very unique, and they don't even know it," Nico said, avoiding Percy's eyes. He knew they would give away something, so he looked away. "Leave me alone, Percy! I swore on the River Styx I wouldn't say anything about it until after they were claimed. Thank the gods, Zeus didn't…" he trailed off as he walked away. Percy didn't mind letting him walk away since he figured that he was going to visit Elysia. After all, that was the direction he was walking to.

Percy sat down at the still empty Poseidon table and watched as others filed in, ready to eat. He guessed that his father was kidding all this time. He never sent Percy a ton of siblings. If Percy was being honest with himself, he wanted at least one sibling. Every other table had at least two people, usually. Even the Zeus table, when both Thalia and Jason visited. The Hades table had usually just Nico, but sometimes it would have Hazel when she decided to visit. Also, sometimes Nico wasn't even here. Occasionally, Tyson would visit, but dad had him busy with things undersea, so he hadn't been available recently.

Percy began to miss how the Roman camp was set up. Cohorts were a lot less lonely than having your own cabin. Yeah, it was pretty sweet sometimes when nobody could tell you what to do or when to go to sleep, but it could get pretty lonely.

Percy stood up and got his food. He scraped off part of it into the fire and pleaded for help again with the situation of the missing campers. This time, he prayed to both Poseidon and any god who would listen, even Hera. With Thalia and Frank being among the missing, they just couldn't disappear. They both deserved a peaceful life after what they endured with the giants.

He sighed and then went back to his table to eat. After he finished, he left to go teach his swordsmanship class.

The rest of the day flew by, and before Percy knew it, it was time for the campfire. Elysia came out of the Big House with Nico and Lucie. By now, they were the talk of the camp. The biggest gossip. People were placing bets on their godly parent. Most were going with Poseidon, but a few were placing bets on Hades. Bryony, daughter of Apollo, began singing one of our usual songs, and we all chimed in.

The flames were turning gold, and were nearly six feet tall when the singing slowly stopped as people looked at Elysia and Lucie.

Everyone stared because Nico was most certainly right: these two were seriously unique.

Above Elysia's head was a floating skull, and above her sister's head was a floating green trident.

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><p><em>I have no idea how often this kind of thing comes up in a story where two demigods share the same mortal parent and have different godly parents, but I haven't read a story where that's happened yet. Anyway, tell me, what did you think of the first chapter? I promise it gets better later. Oh, and I want those who submitted OC's to know that not all of you will be at the GreekRoman camps. You may disappear and/or be on the bad side. xD_

**_OC's In this chapter..._**

** _Ivy Rockwell, __Ally Sanchez, __Elisa Morrison, __Analyse Fay, __Lauren Samos, Liz Bleu, __Elysia Rook, and _**_**Lucie Rook.**_


	5. Part One: Chapter II

_READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE! This update is mostly because I loved the responses from your reviews. A special thank you to everyone who left me a review! This chapter goes out to you guys! Thanks for being such a great group of people to write for._

_Disclaimer: Am I the mastermind genious who created Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus? I wish. Also, if I did, why would I be writing here?_

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><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; the Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

II

At the Roman camp, Jason was trying to contact Percy. He just finished dinner and wanted to report even more depressing news: Gwen and Dakota were missing, too, along with demigods Audrey Hall, Nicky Parker, and Amethyst Nightsade. Earlier, he tried looking for them, at lunch, but couldn't find them anywhere. Reyna helped him, too, but there was no sign of them anywhere. Hazel was standing next to Jason, hoping to check up on Nico.

Iris was probably too busy to help demigods at the moment, but Jason needed to talk to Percy immediately. He threw in three golden drachmas into the rainbow and pleaded to Iris. "O goddess, accept my offering."

The mist cleared, and Jason said, "Percy Jackson, Camp Half Blood, Long Island, New York."

Immediately, the mist shimmered and gave Jason an image of Percy looking completely shell-shocked. "Uh… Percy? What's going on?" Jason asked.

He shook his head a little, as if to clear it. "Sorry, but that was unexpected. What is there to report?"

"Gwen and Dakota went missing today around lunch time."

"So far, none have gone missing today, but we gained two sisters."

"Parentage?" Jason asked.

"Well, they are half-sisters… but on their mortal side," Percy said, still in a daze.

"What? How is that possible?"

"Apparently Hades had an affair with a mortal woman and a few years later… Poseidon had an affair with that same mortal. And the whole time, the mortal didn't even know she fell in love with two gods."

Now, Jason was shocked. "That is very weird. Things like that aren't coincidences. It means bad news, Percy. Something like this isn't normal. Has your oracle said anything about this yet?" Jason asked curiously.

"She hasn't gotten here yet. I'm sure you're right. This kind of stuff only happens when something major is going on. I think you and Reyna need to get here as soon as you can, because we're going to need you when Rachel comes. Bring Hazel along with you. Do you think it's possible to get here tonight?"

"Maybe, but I'll have to go now, so I can catch her. Probably be there in a few minutes," Jason said as he slashed his hand through the mist, ending the Iris message. "Hazel, you should go find Reyna. I'll find Rhea," he told her.

Jason ran off to find the daughter of Trivia. She probably had some sort of transportation spell that could get them to Camp Half Blood immediately. Though he was praetor, he still didn't know her very well. He only knew she had been at Camp Jupiter as long as he had. They never talked to each other. She seemed so quiet and shy. She also had these cold looks that would frighten you just as much as a giant would.

He decided she would be in cohort four, since that was the one she belonged to. He ran there, but came up empty. He was told to try the Caldecott Tunnel. They said she usually went there to eat. He ran that way, looking at the setting sun. He loved the sun sets in California. They never disappointed the onlookers. After ten minutes of jogging, he finally reached the tunnel he'd been looking for. "Rhea?" he asked.

"What do you want?" she asked in the darkness. Her voice kind of creeped Jason out, especially since he couldn't see her at all, except for a dark silhouette.

"I was wondering if you could help Reyna, Hazel, and I get to Camp Half Blood. Is there a transportation spell you could use to get us there?" Jason asked.

She stepped out of the darkness. "Sure, Jason."

Jason didn't know what to make of her. After all this time of being there together, they never talked. He knew she was a sorceress, but he did not know what to make of that, either. He just knew she was good with spells and potions. They began to run towards Reyna and Hazel, who were running towards them. Rhea pulled out a wand, and the second they met each other, Rhea said, "Three, two, one!"

Instantly, they ended up at Camp Half Blood. It was clearly midnight or something, because the moon shone high and bright in the night sky. They were standing in the middle of the fire pit, and thankfully, a fire wasn't going. All of them stepped out. Jason wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, so he led everyone to the Big House. He was mildly surprised when Rhea followed, too.

"Someone needs to get you back," she muttered.

"True," he replied.

Once they got to the Big House, Jason let himself in. "Anyone home?"

"Ah, Jason, it's good to see you. Come on in," Chiron greeted.

Jason immediately noticed a girl who vaguely looked like his sister, Thalia. She had black hair and relatively pale skin with blue eyes. Only, this girl's eyes were like the ocean at night. Thalia's looked more like electricity, but that wasn't a surprise given their dad. "Who are you?" he asked her.

She looked at him warily, like she wasn't used to being around so many people. "I'm Elysia Rook, daughter of Hades," she said, like even she was a little surprised. "Luce, how about I take you to Poseidon's cabin? Percy looks busy," Elysia offered.

"I can do it by myself, Ely. I guess I'll see you tomorrow… at breakfast."

"Bye," she said to her sister.

"So, Percy, have you spoken to Rachel yet?" Jason asked while taking a seat on the couch Elysia was on earlier in the day, recovering from her wounds from the Nemean Lion she killed.

"Through an IM, yeah, but she still wasn't able to give me a prophecy. But she did do something weird. She knew about Elysia and Lucie. She said something like, 'the newcomers are important.' Then, she had to leave. Rachel will be here tomorrow. Jason, you should probably go to the Zeus cabin. Uh… Reyna? I guess you can stay here, seeing as you are unacquainted with our camp. Hazel, you can go with Nico and Elysia to the Hades cabin. Er, I didn't catch your name," he said to the creepy girl in black skinny jeans.

"I'm Rhea Jones, daughter of Trivia. You know her as Hecate, and I'd really prefer to stay here."

"Okay," Percy replied, not really wanting to say more to her.

On the way to the Hades cabin, Elysia said, "So you're name's Hazel?"

"Yeah, but I'm a daughter of Pluto, the Roman version of Hades," Hazel replied to Elysia.

"Hm. I didn't know that there were other forms of the gods, but I guess that's cool. Nico, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Elysia said, now directing her attention to her half-brother. He nodded, waiting for her to continue. "How in Hades' name did you find me?" she asked.

"I figured you would ask that. Hades sent me, telling me where to find you. I'm sorry for not telling you that our dad is Hades, it's just that… your sister has a demigod aura, too. Hades only sent me to talk to you, which meant he didn't have two children with your mom. Eventually, I figured out that she was a child of Poseidon, because I knew all the signs. The blue eyes, the tan skin, dark hair, and the way water flowed around her. Plus, when I was around her, it felt like I was around Percy. Then, I knew it had to be a secret until you were at camp," Nico explained shyly.

"No worries, Nico. Hey, is this our cabin?" Elysia asked when they reached an average sized black cabin that looked to be made of obsidian. Two torches were on the sides, and they burned Greek fire, and a skull hung above the cabin door.

"Home sweet home," he replied.

"Whoa, Nico, did you design this place on your own?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah, but undead soldiers built it after the second Titan war. I can't take all the credit. Anyway, make yourselves at home. Don't tell Chiron, but I keep a stash of coke underneath the bed. Feel free to have some, if you like. The Stoll brothers are good at keeping the place stocked with anything you could want," Nico said.

"Uh… don't we like, need a counselor or something?" Elysia asked.

"Well, if anyone asks, I guess you could just say I'm the head counselor, but I don't want to go bossing you two around. Just do whatever you like, I don't care. Just don't get on Chiron's bad side, or be late to classes. I'll do cabin inspection tomorrow morning, so you two will have to wake up on your own for breakfast."

Elysia couldn't help admiring the walls. The solid black obsidian was somehow comforting to her. Torches with Greek fire lit up the room, casting everything in a greenish light. She found a bunk in the corner of the cabin, and she put her coat inside an empty dresser. Deciding it was time for her to sleep; she kicked off her combat boots and set them on the floor next to her bed. "Hey, Nico, is there a bathroom that I can use?" Elysia grabbed her backpack that had her toothbrush and hairbrush.

"Over there," he pointed.

Elysia walked over and locked the bathroom door. She washed her face and brushed her long black hair. She took black silk pajama bottoms from her bag, a white tank top, and a long sleeved black silk pajama shirt. Because she wasn't ready to come out yet, she braided her hair. The braid stretched all the way down to her lower back. Using the brush, she swiped her extremely long side bangs to the left. Then, she tucked it behind her ear. She walked out of the bathroom and was surprised to find the torches out. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and she saw everything perfectly. She made her way to her bunk and she crawled inside the sheets.

_Hades, _she began. She wasn't sure what to say to her father. _Goodnight._ She closed her eyes and fell into a heavy and dreamless sleep.

When Ely woke up in the morning, she realized it was probably around six thirty. She was so used to waking up on time. Plus, Nico was still sleeping. Elysia didn't want to wake either Nico or Hazel, so she stood up quietly and noticed an orange shirt sitting on the dresser next to her bed. In Ancient Greek, it said Camp Half Blood. Elysia hadn't ever been able to read, but she knew it was a demigod thing because that had been one of the few things Nico explained to her. Elysia grabbed the shirt and took out some jeans from her backpack. She got dressed in the bathroom, and she took out her braid. Her normally straight hair was kind of wavy, but she left it alone. She didn't even want to brush out the curls. Honestly, she didn't feel like doing anything to her hair at the moment, but she knew she'd be training today, so she took out her hairband and put her hair in a high pony tail.

After deciding she was ready for the day, she stood up and saw the cabin inspection sheet. She was tempted to take it and go inspect the cabins herself, but it said senior camp counselor. By no means was Elysia a senior at camp, much less a counselor.

She went back to her bed and sat there, glancing around the room. It was still dark. There weren't any windows in the cabin, and the torches were out, but Elysia could see everything as clear as if the lights were on. She guessed it was a child of Hades thing.

Bored out of her mind, she leaned back on her bed and looked at the ceiling. So this was her new home. She still wasn't sure what to make of it, but so far, it hadn't been as bad as she originally thought it would be. The only thing she disliked was that her sister was in a different cabin than she was.

After a few minutes of thinking, Nico began to wake. "Hi," she said when he stood up.

"You're already awake?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Yup, I'm used to waking up early. It may be a hard habit to break."

"Well, I guess that's not an entirely bad thing, Ely."

She smiled at her nickname. Elysia wasn't used to people calling her Ely, other than Lucie. It was nice to know that she had more family out there, aside from her sister and mom. She liked it that she felt like she belonged there. Maybe belonged wasn't the right word, but more like she felt welcomed there. She always had suspicions that her dad was Hades. She always thought Lucie's dad was Poseidon. Elysia didn't know whether or not they would even be accepted.

Elysia stood and walked over to Hazel. "Hazel, wake up!" Elysia said, gently shaking her shoulder. "We can get to breakfast early. We have a hectic day ahead of us."

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><p><em>I realized something as I wrote this chapter. There hasn't ever been a description of the inside of the Hades cabin, so I actually got to have fun with what I imagine it would look like. It's kind of mysterious, too, so I like that. Also, about the good vision at in the dark. Don't you think children of Hades would have that? I mean, if Hades can use his Helm and all, I just think it suits. Plus, it comes in handy later on in the story.<em>

_Oh, and another thing. Elysia Rook is obviously the main character of this story. I know I said she's my friend's character, but my friend and I are so alike that we pretty much just made one character instead of two. Lucie belongs to my other best friend, however, she's more like a sister. She isn't like me much. That's why Elysia will seem like she's the prominent character, because she's based on myself and a close friend of mine!_

_REVIEW!_

_**OC's in this chapter...**_

_**Audrey Hall, Amethyst Nightshade, Nicky Parker, and Rhea Jones.**_


	6. Part One: Chapter III

_This chapter is pretty funny, I think. But I needed to add humor before the drama ensues, right? Anyway, enjoy! (AND REVIEW!)_

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><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; the Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

III

Lucie left the Poseidon table after she nibbled on pancakes. She didn't have much of an appetite this morning. Not to mention, everyone's stares drifted from her to Elysia. Lucie was never really comfortable in the spotlight. The whole camp just stared at her as if she were crazy. When she walked by people, they whispered something about her. Maybe Lucie just had good ears, because the whispers were usually very quiet, and in the dining pavilion, it was noisy.

Lucie decided she hated the Aphrodite cabin when they said something unpleasant about her mom. She didn't like bullies at all. That was the reason she didn't like the Ares cabin much, either.

Lucie looked at her sister, who was sitting at the Hades table with Nico and what was it? Hazel, she thought. Elysia looked so at home.

Suddenly, Percy was standing next to her. "It will eventually die down, I promise. You have to understand; these people aren't used to new children of the big three, and they certainly aren't used to situations like you have with your sister."

"How do you know the gossip will go down? Everything I've heard about you, Percy… they say you are a hero, twice now. People still talk about what you did when you turned sixteen. Then I hear stories about 'the seven' and how you took down Gaia, mother Earth, with the help of Jason and five others. It seems as though the gossip never dies down," Lucie said, beginning to stand.

"It will eventually. You'll see," Percy replied.

"I think I'll go talk to my sister," Lucie said. Percy shrugged and she walked out of the dining pavilion.

"Hey, Luce, how's it going for you in the Poseidon cabin?" Elysia asked when her sister tapped on her shoulder.

"Great, I guess. What do you think of everyone staring at us?"

"It's annoying, but don't show that it makes you uncomfortable. People feel as if we're a bad omen, and they have a right to think so. Look at how everyone saw Percy as a bad omen. It turned out just fine. They will get over it."

"I guess you're right," Lucie said.

"Well, I should be going to Ancient Greek right now. See you at the game tonight?" Elysia asked.

"What game?" Lucie asked.

"Capture the Flag. From what I've heard, you and I are against each other. I bet my team will win," she said playfully.

"Oh, yeah? Well Percy's on my team, right?"

"Yes, but I have Nico, Hazel, and Jason with the Athena cabin, the Hephaestus cabin, the Hecate cabin, the Demeter cabin, and the Aphrodite cabin. You have the Apollo cabin, the Ares cabin, and minor gods. Oh, and the Hermes cabin. We are so going to beat you!" Elysia stated, smiling smugly at her sister.

"We'll see. Talk to you later!"

The day passed by Lucie pretty fast. Soon, dinner came and it was time for Capture the Flag, and both Lucie and Elysia were excited to try out strategies and possibly powers they might have.

Percy explained the whole thing of having great powers to Lucie, but he also said they would tire her. Lucie just nodded and took in the whole thing without a word. She was just too excited for Capture the Flag. The whole camp was buzzing about who was going to win.

Elysia was plotting with the Athena cabin. Basically, the plans were ingenious, but Annabeth told her not to underestimate Percy or anyone in the Hermes cabin. Elysia already expected they could be pretty handy in a fight. "Annabeth, where do you want me?" she asked.

"Oh, with your skill? Definitely on offense, and we'll give Percy a little surprise. New recruits never are on offense."

Elysia smiled.

Lucie was listening to Percy's plan. "Lucie, you are going to be on defense near the river. Just watch out for unexpected surprises, okay? Annabeth pulls up nasty tricks sometimes. Be prepared for anything. The other guard of the flag will be Clarisse."

"Okay, Percy. I'll do that," Lucie said.

"Just remember the water responds to you, okay?" he asked her.

Lucie smiled and nodded, now looking up at the setting son. She gripped her sword, and then let go to put on her helmet with blue plume. She picked up a shield, and the conch horn sounded.

She took a stance and kept her eyes out.

Nico already told Elysia about shadow traveling. She knew it would tire her, but if she could just get lucky enough to get inside enemy lines to the flag, she thought she would be able to do it. She imagined the river then she vanished into darkness.

Once her vision became slightly less blurry, she looked around in confusion. "Where am I?" she asked to nobody but herself. Then, she felt sand, like sand on the beach, but much, much dryer. Then, her whole vision cleared and she stood before a river, but not the one in Camp Half Blood. No, where she landed wasn't in North America at all.

Elysia stood before the Nile River in Egypt.

"Oh my gods, Egypt?" she shouted, sitting down in the sand. How in Hades' name did she land in Egypt, and how was she supposed to leave? She already felt pretty tired. She lay in the sand feeling like she'd run a marathon. The moon was high above her, and she felt like it was time to rest.

She fought the urge and sat up. Despite the cold air of the desert, she threw off her armor, leaving only a thin white t-shirt she was wearing for the game. Then, she jumped into the water of the Nile. The chilly water splashed against her jeans, her shirt, and even some of her long hair. The water immediately woke her senses, and she decided she had to try to make it to Camp Half Blood. She felt herself melt into shadows again, but this time, when she waited for her vision to clear, she still did not see the camp.

She saw the Eiffel Tower, and she almost laughed at herself.

_At least I didn't end up in Egypt again,_ she thought. Elysia felt her eyelids get heavier, so she knew she needed to get out of the middle of Paris. While she still had energy, she decided to travel again, hoping she'd end up Camp Half Blood, or at least in New York.

She tried to imagine the forest of Camp Half Blood. She gave it one last time, and when the shadows cleared, she only saw trees.

"Girls!" she heard a girl shout. A little girl of about twelve years old ran up to her. She looked a lot like Annabeth to Elysia, but before Elysia could say anything, her eyes slipped closed.

Back at the camp, the game was long over. The red team won, but nobody knew where Elysia went. People already began to think she vanished like the others. By the time Rachel Dare, the oracle, arrived, it was already past ten and Percy with the rest of the counselors went to talk to her, along with the Romans.

Lucie didn't think her sister was dead, and Nico knew she wasn't, but neither felt like she was in good hands at the moment, whatever happened to her. Lucie walked alone to her cabin, worrying about her sister. Nico walked to the Big House for the meeting.

Once he got there, things were in chaos. Piper was trying to charmspeak Reyna to stop fighting with her, but Reyna seemed somewhat immune to charmspeak. Percy was trying to calm everybody down, but they were outraged. There was shouting and arguing. Rachel just sat in the back, looking grave and pale, as if she were watching our impending doom.

Nico didn't like the situation that was happening. He caught brief parts of what people were saying as he walked towards Rachel.

"—fight against something we can't see?"

"—disappear! We could…"

"Rachel," Nico said over the commotion. "Have you seen anything of my sister?"

She looked startled for a moment, like he interrupted something. "What? Oh, no, Nico. I haven't… but our future isn't bright. There is no way to fix it if she's gone missing. She's the key…" Rachel murmured. "I can't see Elysia's fate. I have no idea why. Recently, I haven't been able to even see simple things. When I do, it's nothing clear. I don't know what to make of it," Rachel said discouragingly.

Suddenly, an Iris message popped up in front of Reyna. "Reyna, I have a new recruit, possibly. The Hunters picked up this girl in the woods outside of Seattle, and brought her to me. They thought she was one of mine, but… I do not know her. If she does not wish to join me or the Hunters, I'll send her to you."

"Hylla, has she spoken to you?" Reyna asked her sister.

"No, she has not. Sabrina delivered her unconscious. Once she wakes up, I'll Iris Message you again," Hylla said.

"Wait, what does this girl look like?"

"She has pale skin, black hair, relatively tall, and is about sixteen. She wears a skull ring…"

Nico now went to the IM. "She's my sister, Elysia Rook. What happened to her?"

"We're not sure. The Hunters said she was soaking wet with sand in her boots. She has no wounds, but she collapsed in the woods."

Nico suppressed a smile. "I know what happened to her. I'll be there shortly to pick her up and wake her."

"Okay, glad she's safe. I'll be sure to let my girls and the Hunters know you're coming," she said before the message ended.

"I'll be back," he said before he vanished.

He appeared in the woods of Seattle near the Amazon's lair. He walked in and walked to Hylla. "Where is she?" he asked, slightly worried she'd over exerted her powers. If she did, she could be asleep for quite a while.

"Up there," Hylla said as she gestured towards her room. When Nico saw his sister, passed out looking paler than usual, he rushed to her side. He could see she over worked herself beyond reason for her first day of shadow travel. He murmured a prayer to his father_._

He even prayed to Apollo for help. He could tell she'd probably over worked herself extremely hard. Nico himself passed out the first time he shadow travelled. While gripping her hands, he closed his eyes and murmured those prayers over again. Elysia's hands were freezing and absolutely limp. It took him twenty minutes, but she finally came around.

"Nico?" she asked, blinking to get used to the light.

"Yes, it's me, Ely. Clearly you need some practice at shadow travelling. You gave everyone a good scare," he said kindly, looking down at his sister.

"Oh gods, what does Lucie think?" She instantly sat up, now looking guilty.

"She knows you're not dead, and I'm not sure if Percy told her that I came for you. Future reference: don't think of something broad. Think of something specific when you travel. I'm guessing you thought of trees. That's not very specific. Think of a single person, or one single building, like the Hades cabin, or Zeus' fist. That's the best way to gain control of your shadow travel. You're just lucky you didn't pass out in dangerous territory, Ely," Nico explained.

"Thanks. Have you ever landed somewhere completely insane?" she asked sheepishly.

Nico laughed briefly. "China, a few times."

"I landed in Egypt… and then Paris… then here. Where am I, anyway?" she asked.

"Seattle. How in Hades did you make it three times without passing out?"

"I tried to stay awake the entire time. I knew I could end up in some weird place if I passed out in front of the Nile or the Eiffel tower… and I couldn't stop myself from losing consciousness in the forest."

"I'm glad you're safe," he said.

"I am, too," she said before a pause came over them. "Nico, have you lost someone? I don't know much about you, but you do seem like you've lost someone. You… have a different feel about you. Is that a Hades thing?" Elysia asked.

"Well, you're right. It is a Hades thing, and yes, I've lost someone. My sister, Bianca, died as a Hunter of Artemis. You have that same mark on you, too, Elysia. Who have you lost?" he asked her.

She almost looked away, but she decided she could share it with Nico. "My mother is dead, Nico. A few days before we got to camp… I saw it in a dream. A monster killed her, and I've had to carry the burden of not telling Lucie. If she knew, she'd be devastated," Elysia said, looking down.

"My mother's dead, too, but she died a long time ago. I came from the early nineteen hundreds and I was trapped in a lotus trap for a long time with my sister, Bianca. Once we got out, she joined the Hunters. While on a quest, her first ever, she died protecting the rest of her companions. She chose to be reborn not too long ago, so I don't know where she is. Ever since then, I have valued life more than I mourned death. She'll go to the Isles of the Blest, if she achieves Elysium three times."

"Elysium?" she asked.

"Yeah, Elysium. Are you sure your mom didn't know about Hades?" he asked gently.

"The only way I'll know is to ask, but I can't face her knowing me and Luce are the reasons she died. Maybe in time I could talk to her."

"I'll be there for you, Ely."

"Thanks, Nico. Can you take us back? I'm exhausted, and I don't want to stay here. I want to go back to camp," she said.

"Sure," he said as he offered her a hand to stand up.

She gratefully took it, and in seconds, they were in the Hades cabin, surprising Hazel.

"Gods!" she shouted. "Don't surprise me like that. Oh, and Elysia, you're okay!"

Elysia smiled briefly. "Yeah, I guess. Look, I'm exhausted. I'll talk to you in the morning," she said before she practically collapsed onto her bunk.

The shadow travelling, of course, tired Nico, but he needed to tell Rachel that Elysia was alright and unharmed. The upcoming Great Prophecy had something to do with her and her sister, he was sure. He left Hazel in the cabin and he made his way up to Rachel's cave. "Hello?" he asked when he came in.

"Nico, hi. Any news about Elysia?" she asked.

"Yes, there is. She's safe and fine. Exhausted, but she'll be okay. She should be up and running in a few days. Is there anything you can see now?"

"No, I don't think now's the time. The Oracle of Delphi will speak through me when the time is right."

"Well, I should get back to my cabin and sisters, but I'll see you tomorrow," he said before leaving her cave.

He made his way back to his cabin and crashed.

The next day, Elysia decided to stay in bed. She knew it would be foolish to try and train. Nico brought her some food at breakfast. Throughout the day, she got visits from everyone, glad to know she was okay, but despite their "carefulness," bad news eventually made its way to her.

Apparently, more campers went missing, like Clarisse and Ajax Stone. A few more people went missing, but Elysia didn't catch their names. There were some Romans, too.

After Nico brought her lunch, she decided to take a nap.

In her dreams, she had a terrible nightmare.

She could never describe the background. It was impossible to define. Colors changed, light and dark, and not a soul would agree on the figure in front of her. Was it a man or a woman? Did it have light or dark skin? Elysia couldn't tell. Then, it spoke, but she couldn't pinpoint the voice. "Elysia, I await for your arrival."

The voice terrified her, and she sat up, bolt upright, only to find it was late at night. Nico was already in bed. Hazel was snoring lightly next to her. She didn't like that place, or whoever that was. It felt devastatingly powerful. It felt as if that person could make the world explode if it wanted to.

She needed air. Even if Nico woke up, he wouldn't yell at her for standing outside the cabin at this time. He would understand. But Elysia hoped he wouldn't wake up because she didn't want him to know about that weird dream, and about something awaiting her arrival.

After staring at the night sky for half an hour, she crawled back into bed, nervous at possible nightmares to come.

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><p><em>Okay, so I want to clarify that the OC, Sabrina Burke, took over for Thalia in her absense. That's the OC that picked up Elysia.<em>

_Also, I want to add that you won't find out who was in Elysia's dream until chapter eight (this is a guess. I don't remember exactly which chapter it's confirmed.) Anyway, for those who care, I'm currently writing chapter twelve. School's got me really busy lately. Sorry that this update was a tad slow. Oh, and I might not update again for about a week, since my birthday party is coming up and school will most likely give me a load of stuff to do._

_OC's in this chapter..._

_Sabrina Burke and Ajax Stone._


	7. Part One: Chapter IV

_Okay, so thanks to Redwolf11, I'm updating again. Their review just made me happy and it inspired another update. More reviews like that definitely equal FASTER UPDATES! Oh, and just to let you know, I'm not breaking up Percabeth._

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><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; The Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

IV

The next day, for Elysia, was the day she'd return to training. Apparently nobody knew about the shadow travelling thing. They all were asking her questions now that she was up, out of her cabin. She didn't particularly want to tell them how she ended up there. Her response was: "a mix up of magic." Of course, no one knew what the Hades she was talking about, so they left her alone.

The few people who knew were obviously Nico, Percy, and Annabeth, but they repeated the same story: "a mix up of magic."

When Lucie asked her what happened, she couldn't lie. She told her sister the truth, and she laughed at her. "Only you, Ely, would end up travelling to the Nile in Egypt…"

Training that day was hard. When Percy was sword fighting with her, she was getting sloppy. Her mind kept flashing back to her disorienting dream of… Elysia didn't even want to bring herself to name her suspicion. If she was right, it would be devastating. There was no need to cry wolf just yet. She'd wait for concrete evidence first.

Percy noticed she was distracted. After knocking her sword from her hand and holding the sword to her throat, he said, "What's on your mind?"

She avoided his eyes. "I cannot say." Knowing that wouldn't appease Percy, she said, "It's nothing you need to know, and nothing I mean to share. If you're so worked up about it, know that I've already talked to Nico. Just don't mention anything to my sister, okay?"

"Fine, I won't push for an answer. Now let's focus on fighting."

Elysia cracked a smile and parried his strike. She swung her sword towards his, and a loud _clang_ echoed in the arena. She stepped forward and in one fluid motion, she twisted Percy's blade from his hands and it clattered to the ground. Before he bent down, she held the sword to his chest. "Nuh-uh, son of Poseidon. I've won this round."

He smiled, and Elysia offered him a hand up. Percy took it, and found that this daughter of Hades was different than all the other children of Hades were. She seemed a lot like Bianca, but totally different at the same time. Don't get him wrong, he was great friends with Nico, but his sister was unique. Yes, her features, like hair color and skin, marked her as a daughter of Hades, but her personality didn't. Percy realized that they were definitely alike in personality.

Elysia's smile turned to a frown. "Percy, I barely know you, but I feel like I need to tell you what had me distracted." She looked from side to side, like she was looking for people who could possibly be listening. When she saw nobody, she leaned closer and whispered, "I had this weird dream last night. I lied when I told you Nico knew about it. He knows something else. But back to my dream…" She described it in full detail. Percy's face remained the same the entire time; he knew a thing or two about weird dreams.

"I think I know who it was, and I think I know what's happened to the missing."

"What?" he asked.

"I think it was…"

"Percy?" Annabeth called.

Immediately, Elysia and Percy separated. Elysia backed away and said, "I'll tell you later, Percy."

After she left, Annabeth looked to Percy with suspicion. "Just something personal she wants kept a secret," Percy told Annabeth.

"Why would she be telling you her secrets?" Annabeth asked with a possible hint of jealousy in her eyes.

"She trusts me," he said. "Look, Annabeth, I'm her sister's brother. That makes us, like, distant cousins or something."

"Technically, Seaweed Brain, we're cousins, too."

"Fine, Annabeth, you win, as usual. She had a nightmare and wanted to talk to me about it because she thought I'd be the best to go to since I've dealt with them a little too much, okay? You don't need to be jealous," he laughed, trying to make the situation light again.

"Okay, Seaweed Brain, I'll take your word for it," she said, looking down. "Anyway, I came here to talk to you about the missing campers. Don't tell Elysia, but…"

"Nico's missing?" he asked, completely shocked.

"Yes. How did you know it wasn't Lucie?" she asked.

"I saw her not too long ago. I haven't seen Nico all day."

"Well, Chiron wants to tell her before dinner. Hazel's a mess, Percy. So are Jason and Reyna. They're thinking of going back to Camp Jupiter, since Rachel still doesn't have a prophecy. We don't know what to do," she complained. He knew Annabeth hated not knowing things.

As if on perfect timing, Chiron trotted over. "Rachel has given us a prophecy, and I'm afraid it is rather dark."

Percy and Annabeth shared a grave look before they followed him to the Big House. The walk there was silent. Once they got inside, there were already others there, Elysia being one of them. Her face was a little sad, but not how Percy expected it to be. He took his eyes away from her and scanned the rest of the people there. Jason, Reyna, Hazel (who was a mess, as Annabeth said), Rhea, Grover, Rachel, and Lucie all sat around the room.

"Rachel, please repeat the prophecy," Chiron ordered.

She took a deep breath before she began.

"_The daughter of death shall lead the group of nine,_

_Up the north and to the west, enclosed in endless pine,_

_Where the evil stirs, for only sacrifice to save,_

_To bring those back from beyond the grave,_

_And despair without a hero's hand,_

_To be lost in unfamiliar land."_

"Which of us is the daughter of death?" Elysia asked.

"I don't want to lead anybody, Ely," Hazel said. "It's you who must lead them."

"What? But I'm a nobody here still…" she said, shy.

"Elysia, how do you think we all started here?" Percy asked her. "We all started out by quests being appointed to us. I think you're meant to lead this. Rachel's already said the newcomers are important. You are a newcomer."

Elysia looked down to the carpet. Those words made her shudder. The sacrificing part indeed wasn't pleasant, and at least one of whom she takes would be killed. All of them would be lost in the end, and the prophecy hadn't guaranteed a positive outcome. She didn't want anything to do with the prophecy or the stupid quest, but she said, "Fine... but we need a group of nine. Percy, I want you with me and the same with you, Annabeth."

"I am going, too, Ely," Lucie said.

"Luce, no way am I taking you on a quest like this," Elysia said.

She argued back with, "I'm a newcomer, too. I'm meant to go on this quest."

Elysia's eyes were filled with sorrow, but she nodded. "I'll take Romans, too. Jason? Reyna? Rhea? Um… Hazel?" she asked.

Hazel shook her head no. Reyna and Jason looked to each other and nodded. "We'll go, Elysia." Rhea just nodded in silence.

"Are there any other newcomers, Percy?"

"There's Zayne Knight. I'll talk to him after this meeting has ended."

"Um, Reyna are there any Roman newcomers?" she asked.

"Yes, there's Jay O'Connor. I'll see if he wants to come."

"Okay, that would make… nine, actually," she muttered. "What are we going to do about where in Hades we go? Up north and to the west? Jeez, that's way up in Canada… and it makes me think of the Northwest Territories, which are all the way on the other side of the continent…" Elysia mentioned.

"Why don't we fly?" Lucie asked.

"What? No! Zeus would kill us for that…" Percy said, shaking his head. "Have you ever been on a plane in your entire life?" he asked her.

"Come to think of it… no, I haven't. That's weird…" she answered.

"We'll need to travel by land," Elysia said.

"What about shadow travel or using a transportation spell?" Jason asked.

Annabeth was the one to reply. "We don't know exactly what we're looking for. With both those things, you need a set destination. Nico explained to me once that shadow travel only works if you know what you're looking for. If Elysia were to only imagine trees, she could end up in the Amazon Rain Forest, and there is no way she could take all of us. Same goes for Rhea's transportation, she couldn't take us all at one time, and she doesn't know where we're going."

"Annabeth's right," Rhea said. "There would be no way. We must travel by land. I can't even teleport us all to Camp Jupiter."

"How about pegasai?" Percy asked. "We could fly there. We have more than enough pegasai here to accommodate all of us."

"I would like to have Skippy with me. Let me IM Jay, see if he can round up Skippy and then I'll have him wait for Rhea to escort him here," Reyna said before she left the room.

"I'll go and get Zayne," Percy said before he left the Big House.

Elysia stood and walked out to the porch. The sun was setting, and Elysia loved the beauty of the sun's setting in the setting of Camp Half Blood. She wished she weren't about to embark on a quest where she would have to sacrifice one of her companions. It just seemed wrong.

She saw Percy coming back with an unfamiliar boy, and fear crept into her heart… sacrifice, without a hero's hand, all those lines were terrible and had too many loopholes for her. It was causing a headache for her. "Hey Percy," she greeted as cheerfully as she could. "Who's this?" she asked.

"I'm Zayne Knight," he said, giving her a formal handshake. He had sharp features, brown eyes, and dark brown hair. "Son of Khione, the snow goddess."

They each let go of each other's hands and she said, "Elysia Rook, daughter of Hades, but everyone knows that."

"You and your sister are the talk of the camp."

"That's not always a good thing," she muttered. "Anyway, I guess we should get back in there…"

The three of them walked in there and found Rhea gone, probably to get Jay and Skippy. Chiron announced, "We'll prepare the pegasai for your departure in the morning. When you get to your cabins, pack everything you need. Food and money will be provided, but pack your own, in case anything happens. All of you should carry a bow with a quiver of arrows with you to hunt, well, except you two," he looked pointedly at Lucie and Percy. "For it would be useless. I guess you two should get fishing equipment… You all should depart at dawn," Chiron finished.

Reyna walked in with an unfamiliar boy carrying two stuffed backpacks. "We are going to sleep here for the night."

Everyone left the Big House (except the ones who were going to sleep there), and went to their cabins. Elysia silently prayed to her father that there would be no dreams for her tonight. She wasn't sure if Hades had any control over it, but she prayed nonetheless. Once she reached her cabin, she took a shower and braided her hair again. She packed everything she had with her, and none of it was suitable for going exploring in Canada. She knew Lucie wouldn't have anything warm to wear, either.

She needed to get them warm clothing. While in the bathroom, she focused hard on their living room in Buffalo, trying to shadow travel there with all her might. Her senses guided her, and when she focused her eyes, she was in her apartment. It looked the same, for the most part. The only thing missing was her mom and step dad. After swallowing a lump in her throat, she went to her bedroom and dug around for her winter clothes. She grabbed her favorite black sweatshirt, her long sleeved white under armor top with a hoodie, her thermal pants, and a few pairs of her soccer socks. She made sure to grab her best combat boots, beanie, and gloves.

Then, she went to Lucie's room. She dug around for her blue fleece jacket, her light blue under armor hoodie, her thermal pants, and some of her softball socks. Elysia also remembered to grab her black winter boots, her black beanie, and her black gloves.

"Gods, I almost forgot," she mumbled. She went back to her room and grabbed her stepdad's bow and quiver of arrows. Her stepdad, Ryan, was pretty cool, but he was busy travelling for work all the time. Chances were he didn't know about her mom's death yet. He gave her this when she turned sixteen a few months ago. When she inspected the arrow tips, she was surprised to find that they were imperial gold, something she hadn't noticed before.

A creak on the floor made Elysia whip around while twisting her ring, making it grow into a full sword. "Who's there?" she asked.

"Would you really kill your own stepdad?" the voice asked.

She relaxed and changed her sword to a ring. "Ryan?" she asked.

"Hey, kiddo," he said. She ran and gave him a hug. "I know you don't have much time, but I want you to know Elizabeth isn't dead," he said softly.

"What?" Elysia asked when she pulled away.

"I know you had a nightmare, but it wasn't true."

"Then why do I feel like she's dead?" Elysia asked. "In case you don't know, I'm the daughter of Hades."

"I know, but don't you feel she's still here?"

Now that she thought about it, she kind of did, but she didn't dare let her hopes up. "I'm not sure. Ryan, I haven't told Lucie. Do you know she's the daughter of Poseidon?" Elysia asked.

He nodded. "I do, Elysia, because of my being descendant of the goddess, Trivia."

"What?" Elysia exclaimed. "You… Roman… what?" she stuttered.

"You heard me. I've known for quite some time that the Greeks exist. I knew immediately that you two were Greek. I could just tell. Also, she was similar to my great grandfather's friend, who was a son of Neptune."

"How did you end up here?"

"After my service with New Rome, I moved to New York to see if the rumors were true, and I was right. It has long been wondered if there were Greeks, and I wanted to see for myself. Once I did, I swore on the river Styx to not say a word to those who don't know. Then, I met your mother after she already had two demigods."

"You must be great at magic."

Ryan laughed. "You need to know that I'm hardly considered powerful. My great grandfather fell in love with a mortal. His son, my grandfather, fell in love with a mortal. My mother then fell in love with a mortal. I hardly have any god blood in me, Elysia."

She smiled and said, "I need to go before people start to look for me. Look, you may never see me again, but if mom really is alive, tell her I love her and I am doing everything I can to protect Lucie."

"Goodbye, Elysia."

"Bye," she said before she melted into shadow again with her backpack. She focused hard on the bathroom in the Hades cabin, the small shower cubical, the detail of the obsidian walls, and then found she was there successfully. A wave of tiredness overcame her, but she didn't let herself fall asleep.

A knock startled her at the door. "Elysia?" she heard Hazel ask.

"Just a minute," Elysia said.

"You've been in there for a while," she mentioned.

"Oh, it's just I'm drying my hair and braiding it," Elysia said, which was mostly true. Her hair was still wet, but it was already braided. After a few more minutes of sitting in the bathroom, she stood and went to bed.

When Elysia woke up that morning, she knew it was around six thirty again, which was just before dawn. While looking around the dark room, she heard the clopping of hooves. "I'm already up, Chiron," she said, waking Hazel.

A muffled "Okay," came from the door. Elysia stood, and the torches lit with Greek fire. She then ran to get her backpack from the bathroom. Then, she dressed in her usual jeans and t-shirt. It was a warm day so far, and Elysia would only wear her jacket unless she needed to. She put on the pair of combat boots and strung the bow. She put it across her back, with the quiver. In the mirror, she realized she looked nothing like how she used to.

Elysia used to be the regular teenage girl.

Well, almost. Of course, she always had dyslexia and ADHD, but other than that, she lead a pretty normal life, until she turned twelve. But even the difference between a month ago and now was a pretty big difference. For one, her hair was about two inches longer than it had been a month ago. Her hair always grew fast. For another, she actually had a slight tan a month earlier. It could have been just her, but she thought her eyes were slightly bluer a month ago, too.

None of that mattered, though. Elysia liked who she was becoming, even though being a demigod was dangerous.

After she brushed her teeth, she went back out to talk to Hazel. "Hello?" she asked.

"Ely, good luck on your quest, okay?" she said.

"Thanks. I promise I'll do whatever I can to bring Nico and the others back."

"That's a dangerous promise," Hazel acknowledged.

"Everything's dangerous," Elysia said. "We just have to deal with it. Anyway, bye!"

Hazel gave her a hug, then Elysia walked out of the cabin and down towards the stables.

When she got there, the only other people there were Jason, Reyna, Rhea, and a boy who she thought to be Jay. "Hey, should we eat something for breakfast?" she suggested.

"Sure, Elysia, just give me as second," Jason said, who was loading a pegasus.

"Who's this guy?" she asked, petting the pegasus.

"Oh, this is Crimson," he answered. Crimson was a dark brown-red color, and the name suited him just fine. The pegasus had faint stripes of a lighter red-brown. The wings were amazingly huge, and Elysia stared in awe at Crimson.

"Who am I riding?" she asked to Jason.

"I think you're riding Jinx," Jason said, gesturing to the pegasus to his right. This pegasus was beautiful, too, and she knew it was a mare. Jinx had an unnatural dark blue color, but she pulled it off. Its hooves were almost black, and its eyes were also unnatural. They were a light blue, and it was purely one color. No spots, no stripes, just solid dark blue, so dark it was almost black. "They call her Jinx because she's very unusual, even for a pegasus."

"She's very pretty," Elysia said, slowly walking up to this one. She had ferocity in her eyes, so it made Elysia hesitant. Once she reached Jinx, she gently stroked her mane. Jinx whinnied, and it made Elysia want to understand what she was saying.

Once everyone woke up, they went to the dining pavilion to eat a full breakfast. Dawn still had not yet risen. After they all finished and were stuffed, they went back to the pegasai. "So, to be clear, Reyna, you have Scipio, of course, Percy, you have Blackjack, Annabeth, you have Porkpie, Elysia, you have Jinx, Lucie, you have Mythica, Jay, you have Midnight, Zayne, you have Frostbite, Jason, you have Crimson, and Rhea, you have Celestial. May the gods be with you on this perilous quest."

"Thank you, Chiron."

He galloped away, leaving the nine demigods to get ready to leave.

"Percy?" Elysia asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can we get my sister a better weapon than just a dagger? I know she doesn't like fighting with it much."

"Thanks, Ely, but you didn't have to…" Lucie said.

"Annabeth, quickly take her to the weaponry," Percy said.

She nodded and the two ran off to get just the right weapon for Lucie.

"We should load the pegasai," Elysia mentioned. All of them did as they were told. As much as none of them wanted to, they put saddles on them to carry the load. Since Lucie left her backpack, Elysia took Lucie's stuff she got from their apartment and put it in her backpack. Once they came back, in Lucie's hands was a beautiful sword with ancient Greek engraved. She could tell it said Tyfonas, meaning hurricane. She put it in a sheath around her belt.

Then, Rhea walked over. "Do you want me to enchant that? I could make it like Percy's, where it changes into an object."

"Uh, thanks."

"What do you want it to change into?" she asked, pulling the sword out.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I think it should be a headband. I usually wear those all the time."

Rhea gripped the sword tightly and muttered a few words in Latin. It shrank until it became an average black headband. She handed it back to Lucie. Immediately, Lucie put it on and said her thanks.

After that, they all mounted their pegasai and took off from Camp Half Blood, flying northwest. They flew past Quebec by a longshot, and did not see it, which Jason was thankful for. Apparently, Jason wasn't the only one who had been to Canada before. Elysia and Lucie had been to Canada before, too.

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><p><em>Thanks to all my amazing readers! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! If I get at least 5 reviews on THIS chapter, I'll try to update BEFORE the end of this week.<em>

_OC's in this chapter..._

_Zayne Knight and Jay O'Connor._


	8. Part One: Chapter V

_Hey, sorry it took me so long to update. Fanfiction wasn't working well with my laptop for some reason... Anyway, I spent the extra time working on my story, and I have BIG NEWS to share. You'll know it when you finish the chapter._

_READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE!_

_Disclaimer: Never have I ever owned Percy Jackson._

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><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; the Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

V

Jay was feeling pretty tired after they'd been flying for six hours. He could tell that Midnight was getting tired, too, and then he heard Percy shout over the wind, "Elysia, we should stop for a while. All the pegasai are whining about their wings getting tired!"

So when Elysia started to descend, Jay was pretty happy to get a break and get something to eat. After they landed, Lucie said, "I think we're somewhere near North Bay, Ely. If we take a break and ride about six more hours, we should make it to about Thunder Bay, right?"

"I think you're right, Luce. We should take about an hour's break. It's one o'clock right now. We'll set out again at two."

It fell awkward and silent. Normally, Lucie was deathly shy, but she felt like she needed to know these people more. "How about we all play Never Have I Ever?" she asked suddenly.

Everyone looked to her and gave her a strange look, even Elysia. "Oh, come on. I'm bored, and I don't know any of you very well," she said with a contagious smile.

Elysia rolled her eyes and nodded. "Okay, Luce. I'm in."

She sat down, and slowly, everyone else did, too. "I guess I'll start," she said. Lucie thought for a moment. "Does everyone know the rules?"

"I think we get the idea," Percy said.

"Mkay, put ten fingers up, everyone. Never have I ever been on an airplane," she said.

Of course she and Elysia kept their fingers up, but everyone except Rhea and Zayne put a finger down.

It was Elysia's turn. "Hmm… never have I ever eaten any kind of pie."

Everyone except Ely put a finger down. "You've never had pie?" Lucie asked her.

"Nope."

"How did I not know that?" she asked to herself. "Anyway, Jay, it's your turn."

"Never have I ever snowboarded."

Everyone except Rhea, Reyna, and Annabeth put a finger down.

Then, it was Zayne's turn. "Never have I ever failed a class."

Everyone except Zayne put a finger down. "That's not fair," Percy muttered.

The game went on like that for a few rounds. It broke most of the awkwardness between them. All of them were thankful Lucie brought up the game idea, because it was nicer to be friends with each other than be complete strangers. The game only took up about half an hour. What they did with the rest of the time was up to them. Elysia decided to read her one of her favorite books, The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was the only book series she tried to read with her dyslexia, but it seemed like she had an Ancient Greek copy now.

Lucie just stared up at the sky. As much as she loved New York and Buffalo, she really loved the open land, the forests. Maybe she was just a naturalist. She loved the oceans and beaches, too, but she realized that was the "child of Poseidon" thing. Lucie was starting to get cold, so she dug around her backpack, but found things she didn't pack. Immediately, she knew Elysia got them for her somehow. She took out her blue fleece jacket and black gloves.

That was when she noticed Ely was getting out her white under armor shirt. "I'll be back," she said. Elysia went into the woods and changed. Now, her under armor hoodie was under her black Evanescence t-shirt. It looked a little odd, but Elysia pulled it off. She was also wearing her black gloves and beanie. "Alright, it's about time to get going," Elysia said.

"Whoa, Jinx, watch the language…" Lucie muttered. "Jinx isn't in the mood to fly at the moment."

"Aw, Jinx, come on. I promise to give you an apple if you fly a while longer, then a longer rest later," Elysia said, stroking the pegasus' mane. Jinx whinnied, and it sounded like a reluctant 'okay,' to Elysia. She mounted, then said, "Come on, we should get moving. We have a lot of ground to cover."

"I wish I could have used my spell to get us to Camp Jupiter. The trip would have been shorter," Rhea mumbled to herself. "I hate the cold."

"Well, you can borrow my sweatshirt if you want," Elysia offered.

"No, thank you. I do have something of my own to wear," Rhea said. She pulled a black fleece jacket from her backpack. "And you're right. We should get going."

They set off again, this time, heading more west than north. The lands were hypnotizing to Elysia and Lucie: they both loved nature. The pegasai had to fly higher than usual because the trees were so tall.

Being back in Canada made Elysia feel nostalgic. She remembered when Ryan took her hunting in these very woods. Lucie was watching because she wasn't very good at shooting. Elysia was aiming for a deer about forty feet in front of her. She was about fourteen at the time. It was the first time she caught a deer. Lucie was great at fishing, which Elysia didn't have patience for. Lucie caught the biggest fish Ely had ever seen. Their mom was always outside, but she never hunted or fished. She was a hiker. She could go forever in an endless forest, never getting lost once.

Elysia sighed. Would her family ever return to normal? She doubted it. She wasn't even sure if her mom was alive. She had no reason to doubt Ryan, but she'd had that terrible nightmare. It was hard to believe her mom was alive. True, the dream did end before she saw anything conclusive, but the last view of her mother looked next to impossible to get out of.

She hated cyclopes. The images of her mother hanging upside down over a pot made her burn with anger and sadness.

Elysia ignored it and flew on.

Lucie was glad Elysia brought her jacket. Flying north, of course, it was going to be cold, but it was also windy on a pegasus. _You cold up there, boss?_ Mythica asked in her head.

"I am kind of cold, Myth, but you don't have to worry about it. You must be tired. We've been riding four more hours already."

_Tell me about it. At least it's not two people on one pegasus this whole ride here. That would suck, _she whinnied.

"Well, it's a long flight. I don't think Chiron would have made you carry two people. That would have been mean."

_I like Chiron. He's pretty sweet. He lets us eat sugar cubes, _Mythica said.

Lucie laughed and said, "Well, I hope we stop soon. I'm tired of being in the air…" After all, the air and sky was Zeus' domain, and she had spent way too much time in it. Though horses were made of sea foam and pegasai were neutral territory, she still felt uncomfortable. It would be a blessing when they finally land.

A couple hours later, they did land, and it was about eight PM. Elysia froze immediately, staring at one place in the darkness. "Shh!" she hissed to everyone in our direction. She pulled out her bow and strung it in two seconds. Elysia quietly pulled an arrow from her quiver, and the rest of us looked around but saw nothing, except Jay seemed to see something where Elysia was looking.

Elysia shot her arrow and a roar echoed in the forest. In a few seconds, a lion-like creature rushed to her. "Sphinx!" she yelled. The rest of them sprang into action. Lucie tugged her head band from her head and it changed to her sword. Percy began to attack, and Rhea was muttering some sort of spell.

In a matter of seconds, the sphinx was dead. It really stood no chance against nine demigods. When it turned to dust, Elysia said, "I think we should eat. After that, I'll take first watch. I see pretty well at night."

"So do I," said Jay. "My mom is Nyx."

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Elysia replied. "I'm still taking first watch, though. Come on, everyone. It's been a hectic day."

While everyone was getting ready for bed, Elysia risked the chance and made a fire. Nothing would get past her eyesight; she knew it, so they'd be prepared for an attack. Everyone took out their sleeping bags and laid them around the fire. She watched as they all fell asleep, looking so peaceful. Her eyes stung when she realized that at least one will not be coming back. The prophecy also said "despair without a hero's hand," so that probably meant two people would die, or it was referring to the hero who was sacrificed. Either way, at least one of them wasn't coming back, and it was safe to say that it scared her.

She looked at her iPod's clock. The time was about ten thirty, and she decided she'd switch with someone at midnight. While keeping her eyes sharp, she started to walk around their little "camp." Due to the cold, she started to shiver. That was when she went back to her backpack and grabbed out her thick sweatshirt.

After putting it on, she heard a crack somewhere to the left of her. Her hand turned the skull ring around, and it grew into her stygian iron sword. When she looked, there was only a deer. With a smile, she relaxed and ran her hand along Iroida. It shrank back to her ring, and she put it on.

She was about to sit back down at where she laid her sleeping bag when someone said, "A beautiful night, huh?"

Elysia stiffened, because she didn't know the voice. With her heart racing, she turned her ring into a sword again and turned around. "Who are you?" Before her was a man with black curly hair and pale skin. He looked about thirty or something. He wore a black cloak, covering whatever clothing he was wearing underneath.

"I am Hades," he said, "your father."

What the hell was she supposed to do? She wasn't sure at all. "Um… hi," was the only response she had.

"Listen to me, Elysia." He took a few steps forward and grabbed her hand. "A time will come when you need this."

She felt something cold in her hand now. "What is it?"

"I cannot say. You'll know when to use it," he replied.

"Dad?" she asked, the word feeling strange coming out of her mouth.

"Yes?" Hades asked.

Their dark eyes connected for a second, and she said, "It's nice to finally meet you."

Hades smiled slightly, and Elysia smiled back. She didn't think the god of the Underworld smiled much, and she was happy that she finally met him. "Goodnight, Elysia." Hades began to melt into the shadows, and Elysia watched him go completely before she remembered the thing he put in her hand.

Despite that it had been in her hands for almost a minute, it was still freezing cold. She opened her fist and inspected it. On a delicate silver chain was a small heart with a dark blue sapphire in the shape of an upside down teardrop embedded in it. Elysia thought it was interesting. The gem and heart together were only about an inch tall and about an inch wide.

On the back, something was engraved in the silver, but Elysia couldn't make it out. She knew it wasn't ancient Greek. It could have been Latin, but she wasn't sure. It was in cursive and it wasn't English, so she didn't know. All she knew was that this thing radiated some kind of power she couldn't put her finger on.

Was it a weapon? Was it magic? What could it possibly do? Elysia thought it was pretty. If Hades hadn't said anything about her knowing when to use it, she would have just thought it was a nice gift from her father.

She shook her head and moved her braid so she could put it around her neck. Once she fastened the chain, the necklace settled below her neckline. After that, she walked around to inspect the trees. She did that for a while, then went back to her sleeping bag and checked the time. It was 12:01 A.M.

It was hard to decide who to wake up. Honestly, she thought about not waking anyone up, but she knew she needed to rest tonight. So Elysia stood up reluctantly and walked over to Jay. Gently, she shook his shoulder. "Jay," she whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked to her. "Hey," he said before sitting up.

"Hey," Elysia said, sitting down next to him. "It's your turn. Just watch for about two hours, okay? Then you can wake someone else."

"Ok," he replied. "Nice necklace, by the way."

No doubt, Elysia must have looked surprised. She couldn't believe he'd noticed, and he'd only been awake for about thirty seconds. She gripped the necklace tightly. "I just got it from my dad," she confessed.

"Hades?" Jay asked her.

"Yeah, he stopped by to give me this. He told me that I'll know when to use it. I don't know what the hell he means, though. It is a nice gift… but I have no idea what it could be used for."

"It's okay, Ely." She blushed at his use of her nickname, not sure why. "We'll figure it out."

"Thanks. Anyway, I should get some sleep. See you in the morning," Elysia said before she stood and walked to her sleeping bag. Once she reached it, she crawled in and looked to Jay.

"Goodnight, Elysia. See you in the morning."

Elysia rolled over and closed her eyes for what she hoped would be a peaceful night.

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><p><em>Mystery time! Does anyone have a guess as to what the necklace is for?<em>

_Also, there are no new OC's in this chapter._

_And now, time for my **BIG NEWS**. I'm planning a sequel to this story! I can't give you the name, because it would give away the ending of this story, and that, I can't have._

_One last thing..._

_REVIEW!_


	9. Part One: Chapter  VI

_I think this is the funniest chapter in this story. Anyway, sorry for the total girl talk that's in this, but I promise you, it gets much better and much funnier after the girly-ness! Oh, and THANK YOU for being loyal readers and reviewing._

_With that being said... REVIEW!_

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><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; the Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

VI

Percy woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. "Get up, Seaweed Brain!" Instantly, he decided that somebody was Annabeth. He reluctantly sat up. "Time for breakfast."

He rubbed his eyes and looked around. Apparently, Elysia shadow travelled to some market and came back with all kinds of cereals and tons of milk. Her shadow travel thing could be pretty handy.

"Wow, Lucie," he said. "Your sister is cool."

Lucie smiled and laughed.

"Why, thank you, Percy!" Elysia joked. "It was nothing, really. I just used some of my cash to buy it, then shadow travelled back. It was nothing. Anyway, I didn't know what everyone liked, so… that's the reason there's so much."

"Cool."

Everyone began eating their cereal. Percy noticed that Lucie and Elysia didn't have any of the regular milk. "Are you two lactose intolerant?" he asked.

They both shook their head no. "We just like soymilk. Our mom was lactose intolerant. So was our stepdad. They only drank soymilk. My sister and I just like the taste," Lucie answered. "Plus, it's healthier. Our mom was a total health nut."

"Mine wasn't. She bought me tons of candy all the time," Percy mentioned, now wondering if his mom knew he was on another quest. She was probably worrying about him, like she always does.

"Well, I don't really like most candy," Elysia mentioned. "I like some chocolates, but I really only like chocolate with mint, or Swiss chocolate. Other than that, I stick to gum."

"You are so not normal," Zayne said. "Who doesn't like Skittles? They're the best."

"So not true," Annabeth said. "M&Ms are the best."

Lucie spoke up. "I kind of like everything, though I don't have candy much."

"Jeez, everyone knows that Laffy Taffy is the best kind of candy," Jason muttered.

"Says who?" Elysia said.

"Me," Reyna replied. "Jason and I both love Laffy Taffy."

"I like candy canes," Rhea muttered. "They taste great."

"Oh, I love candy canes," Jay said. "But I have to agree with Elysia. Chocolate with mint and Swiss chocolate are the best."

She smiled then tossed him something. "A kindred spirit deserves chocolate," she winked.

In Jay's hand was a bar of Swiss chocolate, and it didn't look imported. This looked like it came from Europe. "Jeez, did you shadow travel to Switzerland or something?" he asked.

"Nope, that I got from my house," she said.

"Cool," Jay replied. "I've never tried shadow travelling before."

"Well, it's hard if you don't focus on where you want to go."

"I hate shadow travelling," Percy mentioned. "I once rode Mrs. O'Leary, my pet hellhound, while she shadow travelled, and it felt awful."

"That's because you're a son of Poseidon," Elysia said. "You're not meant to like it."

"Hate to break this up, but shouldn't we be going soon?" Rhea said.

So a half an hour later, they were up in the air. Elysia with her pegasus, Jinx, flew at the head of the group. She lead them northwest, and Percy kept up a steady conversation with Blackjack.

_Boss, how much longer are we gonna fly? We flew almost all of yesterday!_

"I don't know, Blackjack. We're flying all the way to the other side of Canada. We might fly all of today, too," Percy said with empathy. "I really am sorry, Blackjack."

_It's okay, boss. I just hope we get a break soon._

"Me, too. Flying this much sucks."

_Tell me about it. Anyway, why are we going up so far north? Are you on a mission to save the world again?_

Percy laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

They flew on for about five hours before they stopped to rest near a lake. Elysia, Lucie, Rhea, Reyna, and Annabeth all wanted to bathe. The guys decided they'd go after them.

Though the water was cold, Rhea used a spell to make it clean and warm. They all were thankful that they brought their swimsuits just in case. Elysia's bikini was black with teal polka dots and teal trim. Lucie's was a blue and purple speedo that was an actual swimsuit. Rhea's was plain black, one piece. Annabeth's was navy blue and it was a two piece, but the top went all the way to her bottoms. Reyna wore a bikini that was light blue.

"I feel kind of uncomfortable. Do you think the guys are staring at us?" Lucie asked, eyeing where they came from.

"Of course they are, they're guys," Annabeth said, blushing.

"I'd like to think that they aren't, Luce, but they probably are," Elysia murmured.

"I can come up with a spell to conceal us," Rhea said, glancing back to where they last saw the guys.

"You should do that," Reyna said, brushing her hair.

Rhea muttered some incantations in Latin, and it didn't seem to do anything. Rhea explained, "We can see them, but they can't see us or hear us."

"How long until it wears off?" Elysia asked.

"Whenever I want it to," Rhea replied. "I have to undo the spell for it to wear off."

"Cool," Annabeth said, "very cool."

"Well, a little magic is always fun."

The girls each washed their hair and bodies. Elysia enjoyed the time, because it was nice to clean off. Who knows when they'd get another chance like this?

Lucie was playing with her water abilities. She made a huge wave come at her sister, and Elysia dodged and went underwater. She grabbed her sister's ankles, dragging her under. When she came up, she was completely dry.

When they all got out, the only one who didn't need to dry off was of course, Lucie, being the daughter of Poseidon. Elysia brushed her extremely long hair and said, "I should probably cut my hair sometime."

"No, I think it's pretty the length it's at. Plus, Jay can't take his eyes off you," Reyna said.

"What?" Elysia blushed. "I don't—"

"Oh, come on. He likes you! Trust me, I would know."

"And why would you know?" Elysia asked, avoiding eye contact.

"Because I'm praetor at the Roman camp, and I know everyone there pretty well," she replied. "Also, he acts around you how Jason used to act around me. Now look at me and Jason."

"Well, who said I liked him?" Elysia asked stubbornly.

"I guess that's up to you, then," Reyna said.

"She's right," Rhea said, trying hard not to laugh. "He does like you."

"Oh, none of this! You're all acting like a bunch of Aphrodite girls," Lucie said. "And gods, Ely, you're actually blushing! I didn't know you ever did such a thing."

"Okay, what if I told you Zayne likes you? I dare you not to blush!"

"He doesn't."

"But what if he did and all of us were coming at you? Of course you would blush!"

Lucie had to think about it, but she caved. "Fine, you're right, as usual…"

"Shouldn't we get back?" Annabeth asked, ringing out her hair. "They'll probably be looking for us…"

Reyna smiled and laughed, "I don't think we should just yet. Think of how much fun we could have while being concealed! It would be hilarious to mess with all of them."

The girls looked at each other with devious expressions, then walked back to their camp. It was weird to walk by and the guys not see or hear them, but it was funny. Elysia walked by Jay and couldn't resist messing with him. She ruffled his short hair and watched his reaction. He stood up abruptly and said, "What was that?"

"What was what, Jay?" Percy asked. Then, Annabeth pulled his shirt, and he tripped, almost landing face first into the wing of Crimson, Jason's pegasus. The girls stifled their laughter, then remembered they couldn't be heard.

"This is hilarious," Lucie giggled.

"What's going on?" Zayne asked. Rhea walked over to him and grabbed his ankle, almost causing him to fall.

Before Jason had the chance of saying anything, Reyna took his hat and threw it onto Jinx. The girls burst into laughter at Jason's face. But when they began to grab out their weapons, the girls knew that the joke was far from being over.

"Whatever it is, we should warn the girls," Percy muttered.

"Invisible things are attacking us! Of course we need to!" Jay said.

When Percy uncapped Riptide, Lucie smacked his arm and grabbed the sword when he let go. "Where did my sword go?" he asked, staring at where he'd last seen it.

"Gods, this is amazing!" Lucie laughed.

"Tell me about it," Elysia said while she took Jay's dagger.

Jay's face went from confused to furious. He grabbed his bow and quiver, but Rhea snagged it away. "How are we supposed to fight this?" he asked, his eyes growing wide with fear.

"I don't know!" Percy shouted.

"Guys, I can't find my sword!" Zayne whined.

Jason began shooting lightning bolts around aimlessly. None of it hit them, though, because they could avoid it easily. "Guys, this is nuts!" he yelled.

They all started to run, but Elysia tripped Zayne, and he landed face first into his backpack. Annabeth pulled Percy's hair, and he tried to hit her, but she ducked and waited. He whirled around, and Annabeth jumped on his back, knocking them both down.

Reyna grabbed both of Jason's wrists and tied them up with a rope from a pegasus.

"Help!" Jason yelled, struggling against his bonds.

All the girls burst into laughter as Jay tugged at the rope around Jason's hands, trying to get it undone. Elysia grabbed a cup of water from the ground and dumped it on his head. Rhea then decided to mess with them even more by throwing dirt towards Zayne. He was showered in dirt, and he looked hilarious.

"Wait a minute…" Percy said. "Annabeth, is that you?"

She froze.

"I bet it's the girls," Jason said. "We haven't seen or heard them for a while. Plus, if it was a monster attacking us, it would have just killed us already."

"Come on, you had your fun," Zayne said, shaking dirt out of his hair.

"I guess he's right," Rhea said. "It was a lot of fun, though."

"Of course! Anyway, I'm going to change…" Lucie said, grabbing her things. "Don't do the spell until we're all dressed, okay?"

"Yeah," Elysia said.

They all grabbed their things and went to change. Now, Rhea wore a black hoodie, a red top, jeans, and red converse. Reyna wore a purple long sleeve shirt, jeans, and a pair of tennis shoes. Annabeth wore a blue sweatshirt, a white t-shirt, dark wash jeans, and black running shoes. Lucie wore her favorite teal jacket, a black shirt with roses, black jeans, and hiking boots. Elysia wore a black under armor shirt, an old band t-shirt, a pair of yoga pants, and her pair of grey hiking shoes.

Rhea began chanting the spell.

"There you all are!" Zayne said. "We are going to get you back for that, though!"

Lucie just smirked.

The guys left to go bathe. "That was fun, but now I'm hungry," Reyna said.

"I know, me too," Lucie agreed.

"Why don't I see what we have? I can't shadow travel again until I've had more sleep," Elysia said, going to her backpack to dig around. "Hey, I have some granola bars."

"I'll pass," Rhea said. "I don't like granola bars."

"Hmm, well, we do have dinner food, but… I think it's self-explanatory why we shouldn't eat it right now."

"I think I might have some chips," Reyna said, going to her bag.

"Luce, do you want a granola bar, too?" Elysia asked.

"Sure," she replied.

"Well, I'm eating chips," Reyna said, pulling out a bag of barbeque chips. Reyna offered some to Annabeth and Rhea, and they both had some.

By the time the guys came back, it was about time to get moving. They spent about two hours there, and by now, the pegasai were ready to get going again. They gathered up their stuff and flew for about two more hours. After that, they landed for another break.

"We should eat dinner or something. It's about five, we should leave at six," Elysia said, checking her iPod.

"Will we have enough time?" Jay asked her.

"Maybe… anyway, somebody start a fire. I'll go catch something to eat for dinner, okay?" she replied.

"Not alone," Percy said. "We don't want to split up, right Ely?" he asked.

"Yeah, so who wants to come with me?"

"I can go," Jay said. "I can also be really quiet. I used to hunt a lot when I was a kid."

Elysia nodded. "Okay, the rest of you stay here. Jay and I shouldn't stray too far away, but… we'll leave some kind of a trail for you to find us."

"No," Rhea said. "How about we use magic to communicate? Hand me your iPod," she said.

"Isn't technology bad for demigods, though?" Elysia asked. "I only use it occasionally."

"It wouldn't be too bad to use if it has magic."

Elysia dug around and grabbed her iPod. She handed it to Rhea, and she took out her wand. She said some word in Latin that Elysia could translate: duplicate. Suddenly, there were two iPods, identical, and then she said something else that Elysia couldn't understand.

She could tell her iPod was magical. The two iPods seemed connected now, connected by magic. "That should do it. A side bonus is that it won't ever need to charge…" Rhea said, handing her iPod back to her. "I'll be able to find you wherever you go. You'll be able to find me."

"Cool," Elysia said, playing with it, now looking at the full battery charge. Then, she looked to Jay. "We just can't separate."

"It won't happen. Just let me get my bow," he said.

She watched as Jay walked to Midnight to grab his bow and quiver. She thought it was uncanny how similar they were. He hunted, his mom was Nyx, the goddess of night, and he had black hair and blue eyes. Next, she'd find out that they listened to the same kind of music or something. It was crazy.

Anyway, once he grabbed what he needed, they began to walk out into the trees.

They'd been walking for about ten minutes when Elysia said, "Jay, what's your favorite movie?"

"Uh, I like Pirates of the Caribbean, actually," he blushed.

"Dude, that's nothing to be shy about!" Elysia joked. "I love those movies, too, but my favorite movies are probably The Lord of the Rings. I'm excited for The Hobbit, it's coming out later this year," Elysia said.

"I love The Lord of the Rings. I didn't think anyone actually liked that anymore, because everyone I know is all about Harry Potter," he said. "I don't think Harry Potter is bad, but…"

"I get it. It's hard to explain, but I get what you're going for."

"We should see The Hobbit when it comes out, if we make through this quest alive."

Elysia smiled, but realized it was a big fat _if._ "Let's not think about that. I'd rather just think we'll see it when it comes out, okay? It's a date." Then, she realized what she said and blushed.

"It's a date," he repeated, making her feel less uncomfortable.

Jay's hands were getting sweaty. He never felt that way around anyone, but now Elysia had him nervous, and he didn't know why. Yeah, she was pretty, but seriously, Venus was probably messing with him.

Their conversation fell silent, and they trudged on, being quiet to catch prey.

A deer came into their view a few minutes later. Elysia pulled out her bow and knocked an arrow. She pulled it back silently, her eyes intent on the deer. She let it loose, and the arrow pierced the deer's neck before it even looked towards her.

"Great catch, Elysia," Jay said. "But I get to catch the next one, okay?"

She smiled and nodded before running to the deer. "Can I get a little help?" she called.

Jay ran to her to help her. She'd caught a large stag, much bigger than anything he'd caught before. Then again, the places he'd been hunting had been common hunting grounds. Here, animals grew wild and lived a more natural life. He helped her carry the stag, and they walked back the way they came.

"So what music do you listen to?" Jay asked, starting the conversation this time.

"Evanescence, Nickelback, um… and Taylor Swift."

"Nice mix of music," Jay laughed. "Seriously? You listen to Taylor Swift?"

Elysia blushed a little. "Yes, but really only a couple of songs. I mostly listen to Evanescence, Nickelback, AC/DC, Paramore, All Time Low, and the list goes on. I listen to all kinds of things, really."

"That's awesome because I'm the same way. I know everyone you just talked about. My favorite, though, is All Time Low," Jay said, smiling.

"What do you think of their newest album?"

"I liked Nothing Personal more, but it's okay," Jay replied.

"Same! Everyone likes their newer stuff, but I like their older music," Elysia said. Suddenly, she tripped on something slippery in the forest, and her side of the deer landed on her, knocking the wind out of her.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked, setting the deer down to help her up.

"I'm fine," she said, grabbing his hand to help her up. "Thanks. I can't believe I just tripped! Anyway, we need to get this back to them."

Before she was about to bend down, her iPod went off, like someone was calling her. She pulled it out and looked at it. Elysia decided to answer. "Um… hello?"

"Elysia, you and Jay need to get here! A cyclops is attacking! It lured away Percy, Annabeth, and Reyna!" Rhea said frantically.

"We're on our way," Elysia said quickly. Since her iPod only had "speaker phone," Jay heard the whole conversation.

They set the deer down and ran as fast as they could. With luck, it'd still be there later. About five minutes later, Elysia was glad her mom had her in tons of sports, because she was able to run the entire time. She and Jay reached their camp and saw the cyclops terrorizing Lucie and Rhea, who couldn't get a spell in.

"Hey!" Elysia shouted, knocking an arrow and shooting its stomach in two seconds.

"Stupid demigod!" the cyclops roared, and tried to hit her with a club.

Jay already had his sword out. He jabbed the things arm, and it knocked him over. Elysia twisted her ring and it grew to her four foot long sword. She ran to it and slashed its leg. Out of the corner of Elysia's eye, she saw that Rhea was speaking a spell, and suddenly, the cyclops froze.

Elysia took her chance. She, Jay, and Lucie all ran to it, and Elysia jumped up and stabbed it, knocking it over. The rest of them stabbed the cyclops, then caught their breath once it became monster dust.

"Where is everyone else?" Elysia asked.

"They're in the woods. They thought they heard you and Jay screaming for help, and they left me and Lucie to keep an eye on the camp. They ran off about the way you came," Rhea answered.

"Then we need to go back there," Elysia said to Jay.

They ran back the direction they walked to for hunting. They saw the group not too far away. "Hey!" Jay yelled.

Percy, Reyna, and Annabeth looked to where they were. "There you are!"

"More like there _you_ are," Elysia said when they met. "A cyclops lured you all away. Now, we should find our deer and get back to camp."

They found the deer and took it back to camp. Instead of cooking it, they cut it up and put it in plastic bags Elysia had thought to pack. They decided that they would eat it at their next stop. All of them thought it was crazy that they'd only been there for an hour, but they knew they needed to keep going.

After about another two hours of flying, they decided to land again. "Gods, I'm happy to be on the ground again," Lucie said.

"I'm starving!" Reyna said, jumping down from Skippy and immediately going to gather sticks.

"Well, I'll get the venison," Elysia said, jumping from Jinx and pulling out the bags of meat.

Once the fire started, they cooked the meat and ate their dinner. Nearby, there was a lake, and Percy and Lucie went to get the water. Rhea used the same spell she used earlier to clean it. They all drank and ate their food in silence, still tired from running around the woods and the cyclops attack.

After that, they were tired. Percy volunteered to take the first watch, and the others fell asleep, looking forward to rest after the busy day they'd had.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, what did you think? I'm curious. Also, I want you to know that I'm not huge into romance stories, I'm more for the adventure. I plan on having some really sweet moments and then really adventurous moments. I promise it will even out because I know that not everyone is into the romantic stuff, so it's not the main focus of the story. I will, however, tell you that love is a powerful motivator... and it might come up again later on. (In case none of you noticed, the pairings are PercyAnnabeth and Reyna/Jason. Nobody else is officially in a romantic relationship.)_

_Oh, and I'm also curious about who you think could possibly die according to the prophecy. One or two people? No one has guessed anyone yet, and I just want to see who you think will die in the end. It also might influence what happens in the end, too, because I haven't finished this story quite yet._

_**REVIEW!**_


	10. Part One: Chapter VII

_Sorry for not updating lately. I was seriously busy recently, and then I went on vacay to Paris for a week. Since then, I've been jet lagged and exhausted. Sorry I didn't warn you about that, I wasn't expecting not to have time to update before I left! Anyway, here you go! You all have been waiting pretty patiently._

_*DISCLAIMER: Do I look like Rick Riordan? I only own my mind, thanks._

* * *

><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; the Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

VII

Zayne woke up at around seven. Elysia must have shadow travelled again because there was more cereal and fresh milk. He immediately went to grab some Cheerio's and some milk. He poured it into a bowl, and dug right in.

"Jeez," Rhea muttered. "Why does everyone wake up so early?"

Percy chuckled. "Oh, this is not early. To go to school, I usually have to wake up at six. School starts at about this time."

"Well, at my school… I don't have to be there until eight, but it's summer. I never wake up this early during my summer vacation…" Rhea grumbled.

Zayne just barely paid attention to their conversation. His mind was elsewhere, thinking about how he didn't even have his dad to go home to. He only had his foster family, and they weren't the nicest of people. Being seventeen, so close to eighteen, really sucked. He constantly thought of staying at Camp Half Blood year round, but… that depended on whether or not he lived through this quest.

He finished his cereal, and then they all prepared to leave. All the flying and fighting was wearing them thin, and it was just the beginning of the third day. How were they going to fight whatever it was if they were exhausted by the time they get there?

"Hold on. Before we leave, I want to check the map. I have a pretty good idea where we are, and I want to see what's around. We've travelled about two thousand miles…" Elysia trailed off, staring at the map like it was giving her a headache. "Okay, I think we're about three hundred miles from Edmonton…"

"Where is that, exactly?" Percy asked. He never had been good at geography.

"It's in Alberta," Annabeth answered. "I remember that from when we were studying Canada…"

"Are you sure?" Zayne asked. "We've travelled pretty far, then."

"Well, we should start checking the forestry. _Up north and to the west_. Well, we're up north and to the west now. I say we split up in groups of two and scout when we land. Then we should meet up in Edmonton. Maybe we could stay at Uncle Mason's," Elysia said to her sister.

"Yes! We haven't seen him in a long time, but… how are we going to convince him to have all of them over?"

"Luce… he knows we're demigods. He is a descendant of Rome, because so is our stepdad, Ryan. I talked to him a few days ago."

"Wait, are you talking about Mason Scorsio?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, brothers with Ryan Scorsio," Elysia answered.

"He's like, the richest freaking Roman to ever exist," Jason said, mouth wide open.

"Well… yeah. He owns a castle outside of Edmonton," Elysia replied. "It's huge. When I was little, Lucie and I would get lost for a while. It's beautiful, really. I'm sure if we told him we were on a quest, he'd let us stay the night."

"I can't believe you knew this and didn't tell me!" Lucie said playfully. "I can't believe Ryan is a descendant of Rome. That's amazing!"

"Here's the catch, though…" Elysia muttered.

"What?" Reyna asked.

"I know it's around the time he hosts this huge masquerade. He might make us stay for it. Losing a few days may be the price for a nice place to rest."

"I think it's worth it," Jay said. "But we don't have any tuxedos or anything. And I doubt Rhea could pull that out of thin air. Let alone the masks."

"I could use a spell that does something like that," Rhea muttered to nobody in particular.

"Uh…" Lucie said, smiling a bit. "He'd have that taken care of in a heartbeat. He has this huge collection of old dresses, masks, tuxedos, and gods know what in there. I remember when me and Ely were little, he'd let us play with the dresses and pretend to be princesses."

Elysia blushed again, something she was growing to hate. She didn't like them knowing she dressed up as a princess when she was little. It wasn't a very daughter-of-Hades thing to do. "Yeah, we were really little then, sis. I'm surprised you even remember."

"I have a good memory."

"So, are we going, then?" Zayne asked.

Elysia shrugged. "It's a safe place to rest and sleep. The pegasai could sleep in the stables for a few nights. We could give them proper food and rest. They've been flying too much lately. If they could rest up for a few nights, we'd be in better shape. First, though, I think we should fly again, scout the area, then meet in Edmonton."

They all agreed, and soon they were off. They flew for about three hours before landing and taking an hour long break. All they did was eating and make scout groups.

"I would say groups of two, but that isn't enough, and we have an odd number," Percy said. "How about three groups of three?"

"I like that. Percy, you should have your own group. Reyna, you too. I'll lead a group, also."

"I'll be in Percy's group. Somebody needs to keep this seaweed brain going," Annabeth said, smirking at Percy.

"I'll go with Reyna," Jason said, linking his hand with hers.

"Me, too," Zayne said.

"I'll be with you, Elysia," Rhea said.

That left Lucie and Jay. "I'll go with you, Ely, unless Lucie wants to be in your group."

"No, I want to spend quality time with my new brother," Lucie said, subtly giving Elysia a look that meant _you owe me._

"Okay, I guess you're with my group, Jay," Elysia said, trying not to blush. Gods, why did she have such pale skin? He probably saw right through her blushing. "Now, we need code names."

"We'll be the Eagles," Jason said. "Eagle, like, the symbol of Zeus slash Jupiter, and it's also a symbol of Rome."

"I'm not Roman!" Zayne said.

"Well, suck it up," Jason joked.

"How about my group is the Owls? The owl is Athena's sacred creature. It may give us good fortune," Percy said, looking at his girlfriend.

"Okay," Lucie said.

"What about us?" Elysia asked to her group. "How about we're the Hawks? All the others are birds, so why not ours?"

"Okay," Jay said.

"Now, we need to communicate," Rhea said. "Ely, hand me your iPod again. I need to make more copies…"

Elysia fished her iPod out of her pocket and handed it to Rhea. This time, she made one for all of us, preprogrammed with our group's numbers and whereabouts. It also had other teams preprogrammed. Oh, the things you could do with magic.

"Call if you're in distress," Rhea said, handing one to each of the demigods. "We'll meet in Edmonton five hours from now. A timer will go off, and a GPS will show you the way to Edmonton. Oh, when you get within the city, please ride as if your pegasus was a horse. We don't need weird things to happen with the Mist. We're meeting in the mall at the food court."

They all set off in different directions. Elysia led her group northwest. Percy led his group southwest. Reyna led her group almost straight north.

The Hawks landed after about an hour after seeing nothing. They walked around for thirty minutes, but found nothing but trees and normal nature. No evil stirring there. They mounted their pegasai and ventured off in a radius of that area, but still found nothing.

The same results came up for the two other groups. All of them started back after spending time scouting.

The Owls were the first to arrive into Edmonton. The mall wasn't very crowded, but then again, not too many people lived in the area. Percy was used to the bustling malls of New York, filled with tons of people. The mall in Edmonton was nice to him, though a little unsettling. He wasn't used to being around this many people after being with his group for three days.

The next group to arrive was the Hawks. Once they arrived, Elysia said, "I'm going shopping." Lucie, Annabeth, and Rhea went with her.

It was just Percy and Jay. He decided to talk. "Do you like Elysia?"

"Uh… what?" he asked, slightly panicked. "No. No, I don't."

"Are you sure?" Percy asked, looking at him in the eyes to see if he was lying.

"Oh, fine. It's not much of a secret, is it?" he asked.

"Actually, I don't think she knows. You two act like how me and Annabeth acted. I think you two could be… something. But wait until after you've saved the world, okay? Because trying to balance a relationship on top of everything going on is hard," he said, speaking from experience.

"Well, I don't know if either of us have that time. Something bad is going to happen soon, I can just feel it…"

"I understand that feeling."

"Duh, you've saved the world how many times now?" Jay asked sarcastically.

"I'm not trying to keep track. Bad luck just finds me, or I find it. I don't know."

Meanwhile, the girls were in the sports store. "Luce, I miss soccer," Elysia whined when she walked past the soccer section in the store.

"I miss softball," Lucie said. "What about you two? Do you play sports?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Not really."

Rhea said, "I like track."

"That's cool. I ran track once," Elysia said.

"Gods, I should buy something warmer to wear," Annabeth muttered. "Any suggestions on what I should get?"

"Under armor is the best," Lucie answered. "They're over there." She pointed to a rack a few feet in front of them.

"So…" Rhea began, "what is your uncle going to have us wear?"

"Oh, I don't know. He could make us all wear the most extravagant gowns, jewelry, shoes, and masks, but I don't know for sure."

Rhea frowned a bit, then said, "I hope I'm not forced to wear jewelry."

"I'm kind of looking forward to it," Annabeth said. "I don't think Percy's ever seen me in a formal dress before. It could be fun."

"It might, but those parties are always dull."

"Really?"

"Usually, yeah. I guess it'll be exciting with my friends there," Elysia said.

"You used to love these parties, Ely!" Lucie said. "Come on, I know you do."

"Oh, fine, you're right. I do like them for the mystery. I guarantee he won't let us see each other until the ball. We'll all be given dresses and masks and makeup before then. Oh, and hair. Maybe even a mani-pedi, too. Our uncle likes to spoil us."

"Wow," Annabeth said.

"Shouldn't we get back?" Lucie said. "I bet the others are waiting for us now."

The girls all agreed, then went back to the food court. "I think we should stay a while," Percy said. "We could get supplies we'll need for going back out."

"We shopped a little," Annabeth said. "Not much, but just minor things."

"We won't need to buy anything," Lucie said. "I am pretty sure Uncle Mason will give us anything we want. He loves me and Ely to death."

"Cool," Jay said, looking to Elysia. She smiled a small smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"I think we should get going," Elysia said, putting on her sweatshirt on. "His castle's about a hundred and fifty miles from here. We don't want to be flying too late at night, do we?"

They set off, happy to have a nice and warm destination to look forward to. Once they found their pegasai, they mounted and began to ride northwest. The flight there only took about an hour and a half. Everyone knew they were in the right place because the castle was bigger than the town they flew by. It was right next to the lake. That was when they started to descend.

It was incredible to Jay. The place reminded him a lot of a medieval castle, only not quite as old or destroyed. He felt like he stepped into some fantasy novel or something. The castle was extravagant.

"We need to go on foot. He's a descendant of Trivia, so he might have nasty tricks up his sleeve if we try to fly over the gate," Elysia explained.

All of them landed on the road, just before the huge wall. A black steel door stood in their way. An electronic device to the right of Elysia said, "State your business."

"Please tell my uncle that I, Elysia Rook, have arrived with my sister, Lucie, and we've brought friends. We're on pegasai, and we need a place to rest."

"One moment, m'lady."

"M'lady?" Percy asked.

Lucie laughed and said, "Oh, come on, Percy! He's very… formal. He has this obsession with medieval times. I'm surprised he doesn't have armed guards. I'm seriously happy he has something electronic, here, though…"

Suddenly, the door opened, and stood before them was Elysia and Lucie's uncle, Mason.

"Welcome," he said, shooing them in. "It's nice to see you two. I haven't seen you in ages! Look at how you've grown!" The door closed behind him. "Who are you're friends?"

"Oh, this is Percy, that's Jay, and that's Annabeth," Elysia said, pointing at each of them.

"This is Zayne, and that's Jason, Reyna, and Rhea."

"Jason?" he asked, looking at him. "I remember when you were a little boy! That was around the time I was building my castle."

"It's just as amazing as I remember it, uncle," Lucie said. "So, when's your marvelous masquerade?"

"Tomorrow night, my dear Lucie. You all must stay for the event! Stay as long as you like, but may I ask why you are all here?"

"Uh, we're on an important quest. Has anyone sent you word of missing campers?" Elysia asked, dismounting Jinx.

"Ah, yes, that is rather unfortunate. Are you on a quest to stop it?" She nodded. "What made it bring you this way?"

"Well, in case you didn't know, the Greek gods exist. They have their own camp, and Lucie and I are Greeks. We got a prophecy from the oracle that told us to come _up north and to the west._ We were in New York at the time."

"Do come inside. Leave the pegasai here, my friend Richard will take care of them. I see we have much to catch up on."

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><p><em>Well... who's excited for the masquerade? Be prepared, it's intense. Anyway... R&amp;R, PLEASE!<em>


	11. Part One: Chapter VIII

_Thanks for reading, but I do have something to say. I only had a few reviews on the last chapter. It's always nice to get even a simple, "I love this," review because despite how short, I absolutely love to read them. My goal is that I will get to 100 reviews after this chapter. I don't think I'll update until I've reached that. If it takes too long, I guess I'll eventually update. I really am sorry I kind of checked out on all of you, but I really was busy. I lead a busy life, and sometimes, I just can't update. Trust me, I update whenever I can. I don't want to lose reviewers over something I can't control. Please, I beg of you, just give me a simple review. They really brighten my day, as cheesy as that sounds. _

_Now, enough with the heavy. Prepare yourselves... a cliffhanger's coming!_

_*Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I believe it's safe to say that nobody on fanfiction owns the object of their stories..._

* * *

><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; The Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

VIII

The night passed on, and after they all were full and satisfied, the Rook sisters' uncle sent them off to their chambers. Elysia was amazed by their size. She almost felt uncomfortable being in a place alone. It felt like she needed someone to be near her, after spending so much time with her newfound friends. The room she was given was too large for her, but she enjoyed it. Her uncle told her to look into the wardrobe for something to wear to bed, and she knew it would be some nightgown or something, but she chose to wear one anyway. After laying her eyes on a dark blue silk gown, she could hardly say no. She went to shower, then dressed down to go to sleep.

All the girls did the same, and the guys found that what they were to wear to bed was… nothing like they would usually wear. It was cotton pajama bottoms and tops, all white. It made them feel uncomfortable, but it was better than jeans and their other dirty clothes, so they wore them anyway.

The next morning, the sunlight streamed through the open window of Elysia's bedroom, waking her up. Her hair was sprawled all around her face, and she felt so peaceful. She didn't want to get up, but a loud banging on her door told her that someone, probably her uncle, wasn't going to let her sleep in. She rolled over and lazily stood from her bed.

She opened her bedroom door, surprised to find someone else. "Jay?" Elysia asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Hey, you're uncle wants everyone down for breakfast, um, once you get dressed," he said shyly. She was always the first up, he thought she would have been today, but he'd guessed wrong.

"I'll be down in a little while," she said, nervously playing with her necklace that her father had given her. She still had no idea what he meant by it, and honestly, she wasn't sure if she ever would. It didn't seem to have the ability to turn into anything that would help her fight against monsters or anything, nor did it seem to have protective magic or healing of any kind. She still couldn't pinpoint the power that radiated from it.

"See you later," Jay said before turning to walk down the hall.

Then, Elysia raced to the wardrobe to find something. All of her normal clothes were being washed today, and she needed something nice to wear. After all, her father wouldn't settle for anything less. Today, he'd want her to look nice.

She pulled out normal but nice clothing, unlike what she wanted to wear. She just wanted her combat boots, jeans, and her Evanescence shirt, but… of course her uncle wouldn't allow that. Her last resort was to wear anything girly. The gods only know what he was planning for her to wear tonight, so she grabbed out a blue button-down blouse, some dark denim jeans, and some brown flats that showed off her toenails, which would have been better if she had them painted. Because she knew her uncle would criticize her for not doing anything nice to her hair, she braided it. Then, she felt ready to go downstairs.

Walking down seven flights of stairs was tiring enough to do, even without her flats. She walked at a brisk pace, not wanting to show up to breakfast too late. After finally reaching the last step, she made her way to the dining hall. Not everyone had come down yet, thankfully, but she was still one of the last. The only other person missing was Rhea.

"Hey," she said as she sat down, taking her place next to Lucie and Jay. "Good morning."

"Where is your other friend?" Uncle Mason asked.

"She should be down soon," Reyna said. "I already told her to come down."

"Well, I hope you girls know that today, you all must prepare for the masquerade ball. The men should help me decorate. I suppose they'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

The rest of their day way busy to say the least. The girls were all forced to start getting ready. Mason had two women with each girl, and apparently they were there to help do hair and painting nails and stuff.

They went to Elysia's room, all of them, to get ready together. "Elysia, I'm your makeup and hair specialist. Sit," she said, sitting her down in front of a vanity. She began to unweave the braid she put in not too long ago.

She glanced around the room out of the corner of her eye and saw that the other girls were annoyed at being stuck here all day. Rhea looked ready to smack the person trying to mess with her hair. Annabeth just looked uncomfortable. Reyna looked slightly annoyed. Lucie, of course, had dealt this this before, so she just relaxed and played a game on her iPod.

The sun, that was once high, began sinking lower and lower until all their hair was done. It was a good thing that they had a huge breakfast, because they didn't get much time to eat anything. The stylists just gave them fruit and water occasionally. Once the others' hair was finished, hers wasn't. Since she had such long hair, they were trying to do something dramatic with it or something. From what she could see of it, it looked pretty, but if a monster were to attack, they'd laugh at her and call her a daughter of Aphrodite. She guessed that'd be a good way to kill a monster: making them laugh to death.

"Oh my gods, Ely, your hair is amazing so far," Lucie said, finally getting her break to stand and walk around. Her hair was very simple looking, but it took a few hours. It was a traditional Greek hairstyle, straight down to the laurel in her hair, only it was one silver headpiece that wasn't a head band.

"I like yours," she replied.

"Whoa, Elysia…" Annabeth said, staring at her through the mirror.

"Apparently, it's amazing."

"It better be," mumbled the woman doing her hair. "After all, once I'm done, I'll have spent four hours on your hair alone."

The second woman shooed away Annabeth and Lucie. She began to buff Elysia's nails and do things to them she didn't care to watch. After an hour, she looked down and saw that where her once uncared for nails were, was fake nails with a black base and a purple design. She decided her dress was probably purple, one of her least favorite colors.

Lucie's nails were being painted a dark, dark blue with a silver design. Rhea's were being painted white with an orange design. Annabeth's nails were being painted a deep burgundy that faded to black. Reyna's were being painted light green with a dark green flower shape being painted. All of them had on fake nails that felt uncomfortably long.

Using their swords would feel weird with their nails digging into their palms.

Anyway, Lucie and Rhea were sitting there while their makeup workers started applying. You could literally feel the awkwardness in the air for the demigods who weren't used to dressing up like this.

Elysia's hair was finally finished, and she didn't get a break. She was told to tilt her head back so the woman could work on her makeup. By then, it was late afternoon, and Elysia was starting to get sick of the apples she was given to eat.

She didn't complain, though, because that would only make matters worse. She knew dinner was coming to them at five. The ball would start at seven and end at midnight. That was about five hours long, traditional for such a large event. Everyone Uncle Mason knew was invited, along with anyone rich enough to wear an extravagant gown or suit from surrounding villages and cities. She couldn't wait to see if Ryan decided to come.

Time dragged on until all of them got to eat their dinner. After that, the makeup artists checked to make sure that the lipstick hadn't smudged. Apparently, Aphrodite/Venus had her own cosmetics line with permanent makeup.

They all were a little worried, but they were assured it would come off with magical makeup removal wipes, also from Aphrodite's line. That was when they all relaxed.

Finally, it was about six, and they were all about to get into their dresses. None of them had seen the dress or mask they were going to wear. The only hints they had about it was their makeup and nails.

"At last," one of the workers said. "They're ready."

Everyone except Elysia was shooed out of the room, to their own.

When she saw the dress, she froze. This was the very dress she'd dreamed about wearing when she was six. Next to it was the matching mask, and she loved it.

_Maybe this won't be so bad after all,_ she thought.

:;:;:;:;:;:

Okay, Jay was extremely bored. As far as he could tell, none of the girls had come out yet, and mingling with people he knew from New Rome and stuff wasn't fun. It was mostly just older people who were gossiping to him about the missing campers.

According to rules, you weren't supposed to give out your name. It was supposed to be mysterious, and you were supposed to have a great time, wondering who it was you were talking to. The only thing that all of the people there had in common: they all were Greek or Roman, descendant or demigod.

If he was being honest with himself, he was looking for Elysia. He wanted to believe that he'd be able to find her in the crowd, but it was almost seven thirty, and he hadn't found her yet. So, he decided he'd dance with random people who seemed similar to her. One girl with long dark hair and pale skin walked by wearing a grey mask and a silver dress looked like it could be her, but when he stopped to talk to her, she didn't have the right color of eyes.

Then, the doors opened, and more guests came in. He knew instantly that one of them was Rhea, but he couldn't believe the dress and shoes she was wearing. He half wondered if it was even her until he saw her walk up to him and say, "Hey. It's… um, you right?"

"Yes," he said, knowing she would hear his voice and know.

"Have you seen Z?" she asked, scanning the crowd. He shook his head no.

"Have you seen E?" he asked. She shook her head no, too. "By the way, what made you wear an orange dress?"

She looked down and blushed. Her dress was orange, of course, and it was floor length, but it cut open in the front, showing the skin just below her knees. Her shoes were silver and about three inches tall. The top of the dress was strapless and fringy. The hairstyle she wore was very cheerful, curly in small curls and tied up and back. The mask she wore had a big flower off to the left side, fading from different shades of orange.

"I didn't choose this. Elysia's uncle did. Oh, look, I think I see Per… I mean, P. We should go talk to him," Rhea said, gesturing to the guy in the crowd, staring at the entrance, clearly waiting for someone.

They walked over and said, "Hey."

"Hi, guys. What are we supposed to do until everyone arrives?" he asked. Percy was wearing a simple black tux, like almost all the men here, and his mask was grey and it covered half his face. It had silvery details.

The symphony that played was amazing. They were playing some kind of elegant music from the early eighteenth century or something.

That's when Jay decided to take in his surroundings. He'd decorated it earlier, yes, but only minor things. It was completely finished, and the ballroom was amazing. Bright colors decorated the large walls, banisters hung all around. A large golden table held food of all sorts, plates, and waiters with trays of wine. Some waiters had sparkling cider, too, for the younger ones.

He pried his eyes away from the food and looked towards the entrance again. A short girl with dark hair and a pretty blue dress, which flowed like water, by the way, and wearing an extravagant mask walked in, and he knew it must be Lucie, Elysia's sister. Her eyes landed on the group, and she made her way towards them.

"Hello, everyone," she said, smiling at Jay. "Have you seen my sister?"

"Nope, not yet," Percy replied. "Now, if any guys look at you, I'll need to beat them up…" he said, his brotherly side coming into play.

Lucie rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're as bad as Ely!"

"I love your mask," Rhea said, looking at the blue detail. It was pale blue, and on the left side, the mask extended up, curling around the top, looking like frozen blue fire with silver in it.

"Oh my," Lucie said, looking at Rhea. "You look… unlike yourself. But very pretty nonetheless."

"Thanks, but orange isn't my color. I tried to change it with magic, but…"

"Let me guess… there was a spell preventing you?" Lucie asked.

Rhea nodded. "I couldn't change it at all."

The doors opened again, and a bunch of unfamiliar guests came in. None of them looked to be a part of their group, so they went back to their conversation. "Well, where is Annabeth, Reyna, Jason, and Zayne?" Lucie asked.

"I don't know," Percy answered.

The doors opened once yet again, and a sea of people walked through. A girl wearing a striking slim red dress and gold strappy heels walked through. She had her long blonde hair curled in lose waves and tied back. A red and gold mask veiled her face, but Percy said, "No way," before nearly running to her.

"Hey," she said, looking to Percy. "Wow, you clean up nice, Seaweed Brain," she said sweetly. "What do you think?"

Percy was speechless. The dress showed off her figure flawlessly, and he felt like Aphrodite just zapped him or something, because he was enticed by her beauty that had always been there, but it was like it was unveiled or something right then and there. "You look… wow."

She smiled and laughed. "Come on, dance with me," Annabeth said, grabbing his hand.

They began to waltz to some old song, and he was really glad his mom forced him to go to a dance class.

"I can't believe you know how to dance!" Annabeth giggled, laughing as she twirled. "I like this side of you."

"I love this side of you, but don't you dare do it too often or I'll die."

"I wouldn't want that, now would I?"

"Let's just enjoy tonight."

They danced like they would in some cheesy romance novel. Or maybe a fairytale, like Annabeth was Cinderella, ready to vanish at midnight.

Jay wondered if he'd ever have a relationship like that someday. His mind immediately went to Elysia, but there was no way she could possibly like him. Plus, they had way bigger things to worry about, like the end of the world. There wasn't enough time to start a relationship like that.

Once yet again, the doors opened, and two girls stepped out. He caught his breath as he realized that the one in the light purple ball gown and magnificent mask was, indeed, the girl he'd been looking for. A dark mane of loosely curled black hair spilled around her shoulders, almost reaching her elbow. The top part of her hair was weaved onto her head. The mask she wore was silver, and it was, by far, the most beautiful mask he'd ever seen. It was like it was made of threads of silver. The sides extended out and loosely curled around the top, and in the center, the mask pushed upwards, and it nearly looked like a mask and tiara. In the center top part, it was hard to see, but there was a heart embedded in the silver. It wasn't solid, it was just like the rest of it, made of thin strands of silver, but he couldn't take his eyes off her as she walked to him.

"Jay," she said, blushing slightly. She knew she wasn't supposed to use names, but she forgot when she said it.

He could barely speak. She was breathtaking. He just stared at her eyes, they looked smokey, and her dark blue eyes sparkled. He stared at her lips, so perfect and light pink. Then, his eyes drifted back down to the dress. The beautiful purple gown was like a satin bell. The top part was halter, and the torso part was like a corset, but the lower part spread out beautifully, ruffling out on the sides, while in the front, smooth, and he couldn't see her shoes, but he imagined they were tall and silvery. She wore a small silver necklace that held a light blue gem, and she wore matching earrings and other accessories.

"You look beautiful," he finally said.

"Thanks. You look great, too," she replied.

He knew the gentlemanly thing to do was to ask her to dance, but he was still recovering from being dazed by her appearance. "Would you… um…" he tried.

"Like to dance?" she asked him. He nodded sheepishly. "I would love to."

He didn't have much of a clue how to dance. He expected she would, but he wanted to impress her. The symphony began to play a pretty and mysterious song. The lights dimmed, out of nowhere, and it grew quiet except for the song. The spotlight was on a flute soloist, playing a beautiful and ominous tune before everyone in the symphony began.

Elysia grabbed his hand, and he hoped it didn't feel sweaty. _Venus, help me,_ he pleaded inside. She actually must have, because they began to dance fluidly, beautifully, perfectly in time with each other.

They twirled and spun, feeling the beat of the music as if they were the only ones there. With his hand on her waist, she felt butterflies that wouldn't go away. She wondered if Aphrodite was playing tricks, but if she was, Elysia honestly didn't mind. She liked it that she felt so safe around him. She was impressed he was such a great dancer. She loved it that he looked great tonight, wearing a mysterious grey and black mask that covered half his face.

They ended up dancing longer than just that song without realizing it. It must have been forever by the time they actually began to realize that fact.

After a twirl, she ended up getting really close to him. With these shoes, she matched his height. They were only centimeters apart, but someone tapped her shoulder.

Elysia moved away from Jay, wondering what would have happened next. "Hello?" she asked as she turned around.

"Hello," he said. "Do you remember me?"

Elysia looked to his eyes, easily the least difficult way to identify him. Her eyes widened as she realized just who it was. "Aviander?" She threw her arms around him.

"Hi, El. I haven't seen you in ages!" he said as he patted her back.

Jay, of course, couldn't help feel jealous. Once she pulled away, he was a little relieved. "I've missed you a lot. I can't believe you're a demigod, too! That's just crazy. Anyway, Aviander, meet Jay, a friend of mine who's helping me on a quest."

"Really?" Aviander asked, looking to Jay. "I'm Aviander Tosolo, son of Khione, the snow goddess. She's Greek, but when I was twelve, I was taken to Camp Jupiter. Now, I know that the Greeks and Romans exist." He extended a hand, and Jay reluctantly shook it.

"I'm Jay O'Connor, son of Nox, but the Greek version is Nyx. I'm a child of Rome," Jay said, frowning.

"Nice to meet you. Now, if I may, could I steal El away for a while? We have quite a lot of catching up to do."

He couldn't really say no, so he just shrugged. "See you later," he told her, trying to keep bitterness out of his tone of voice.

He watched as they walked away, near the table.

"How've you been?" he asked her.

"I've been good. It's so nice to see you! You look incredibly handsome tonight."

"What's with your boyfriend over there?" Aviander asked.

"What? Oh, no… he's not my boyfriend. I mean… um…" she trailed off. "I am not sure about that thing yet, okay? Right now, he's a great friend of mine. We share a similar connection. I'm a daughter of Hades, he's the son of Nox, as he said earlier. Hades isn't so different from the goddess of night. We just have a lot in common."

"Well, he sure is protective of you. I thought he was going to kill me for talking to you."

She half-heartedly smiled. "He isn't that protective."

"You should have felt how tightly he squeezed my hand," Aviander said, grabbing a plate for food.

"Um…" Elysia wasn't sure what to say. "He just doesn't know that you and I are old friends. Almost like brother and sister. Anyway, have you seen Lucie?" Elysia asked, trying to drop the subject. It was too awkward for her.

"Yes, and can I say she's stunning? That dress suits her so well. Is she a daughter of…"

"No, not Hades, actually. She's a daughter of Poseidon."

His mouth fell. "That's unusual. I had no clue that two gods would fall in love with the same mortal. Anyway… what's your quest about?" he asked nonchalantly, adding strawberries to his plate.

"We're flying northwest to try and stop c—" she caught herself. She didn't want to say that anything until she was sure. She'd only had one nightmare about it, and she wasn't just going to tell it to Aviander, old friend or not. "We're on a quest to stop campers from disappearing," she said, proud of her cover story.

"How many of you are there on this quest?" he asked her.

"Nine, me included, and we're all flying towards northern Canada. This is just a stop along the way. We leave tomorrow to continue on our quest."

"Well, what's the prophecy? I heard the Greeks had an oracle from your uncle," he said, looking to her with curious eyes.

"I'd really rather not talk about it," she said, stealing a strawberry from his plate and dipping it in whipped cream. "It's terrible, really. And it makes no sense."

"You can tell me anything, Ely, you know that, right? I still am your best friend." He now looked to her with kind eyes and a small smile. He never smiled, so she felt the need to tell him.

"Fine. _The daughter of death shall lead the group of nine, up north and to the west, enclosed in endless pine, where the evil stirs, for only sacrifice to save, to bring those back from beyond the grave, and despair without a hero's hand, to be lost in unfamiliar land._ There, that's the whole prophecy," she said, feeling slightly more comfortable, as if telling him was releasing all the fear she had.

"That's awful! It sounds like two people aren't coming back. A hero and a sacrifice. I guess it could be the same person…" he trailed off, giving her a sympathetic look.

"I know, and that scares me. We have plenty of heroes in our group. It could be so many people. For one, it could be Percy, or maybe Annabeth, or Jason, or Reyna or…" she sighed.

"Or you," he said, finishing the thought he guessed she had.

"It can't be me, though. I'm no hero. For the gods' sake, I'm wearing a ball gown, high heels, manicured nails, perfect hair, and a Venetian mask. No hero is like that."

"Then at least you can get through this alive," he offered, trying to make the best of this.

"No, because that could be worse, knowing I couldn't save everyone."

"Elysia, I believe you'll make it through this and no one has to die in this quest. It never says death. Sacrifice doesn't mean death, and it doesn't mean it'll even be one of your group. The hero thing could be that you get split up and find your way back or something. Try to look on the positive side. I know how hard that can be, especially for a daughter of Hades, but try. Nobody has to die."

"I guess you're right," she said, but she wasn't convincing.

"Anyway, why don't we dance together? I love Vivaldi," Aviander suggested.

She took his hand and they walked to the dance floor.

:':':':':

Lucie was politely dancing with a random stranger. He was about a foot taller than her, but she didn't mind. She figured her uncle would meddle and send boys her way, but she wasn't much into the whole "dating" thing. She'd heard stories of the Hunters of Artemis, immortal maidens who hunt for eternity, no boys. If she were better at archery, she'd have gone a while ago. She wasn't sure if she could even join, being the daughter of Poseidon, but she'd have to try. It seemed like it suited her situation.

"I am Ray Jones," he said.

Lucie raised her eyebrow. "I thought we weren't supposed to name names, Ray," Lucie said. "You've broken a rule."

"Who said that was my real name?"

"Nonetheless, it's still a name," she said as she twirled under his arm.

"Well, I'm sorry, then," he apologized. "You're just too pretty."

She wanted to turn him away, but she was naturally polite. If it had been Elysia, she probably would have told the guy to go away, if the positions were switched. But Lucie wasn't her sister. She stood by being more polite than her sister.

"Thanks," she answered, "but I'm not looking for a relationship. I've been a little busy… travelling, actually. I'm journeying across Canada with friends of mine."

"You don't have to lie. I'm from the Greek camp, I know all about the quest, Lucie."

She started to get a bad feeling for some reason. While they were dancing, she just felt something bad was happening, and she didn't know why. She didn't feel like she was in danger, she felt like someone else was.

"Please, excuse me," she said, starting to look around for any sign of danger.

"Okay," he said, letting her go.

Lucie decided to check on her sister first. While looking for her sister, she saw the others all perfectly fine; Jay, Zayne, Jason, Reyna, (both of whom she hadn't seen enter), Percy, Annabeth, and Rhea, but she couldn't find Elysia.

She went to Jay first. She kind of expected them to be together because they clearly both liked each other. "Jay," she said, breaking the rule of not using names. "Have you seen my sister?"

"Not for a while. Why do you sound so panicked?"

"I just have a bad feeling about this whole situation… I can't put my finger on it," Lucie said, feeling a disheartening feeling creep into her heart.

"I saw her last over at the table talking to Aviander Tosolo."

She whipped around, looking to the empty table. While storming over there, she scanned the crowd again. Why did she have such a bad feeling? She reached the table, hoping to see them at a distance she couldn't before.

There was only nothing. The clock in the ballroom chimed that it was now eleven o'clock, and her heart was pounding for a fear she did not understand.

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><p><em>Don't you just love a good cliffhanger? Lucky for you, I plan on updating soon. Thanks for reading!<em>

_Who likes JayxElysia? Personally, they're my favorite "couple" that I've ever written before that was with two OC's. Those of you who like them, you'll be happy for the next chapter._

_Oh yeah..._

_OC's in this chapter..._

_Aviander Tosolo, Raymond Jones._

_REVIEW, pretty please!_


	12. Part One: Chapter IX

_Hello everybody! Thanks for actually following through on the reviews! (Now all you have to do is keep it up!)_

_Just so you know, be prepared for crazy drama and, dare I say it? Possibly even character death._

_Anyway, as promised..._

* * *

><p><strong>Percy Jackson &amp; The Case of the Missing Campers<strong>

IX

(1 hour prior)

Elysia enjoyed her conversation with Aviander. He was making her feel better about this quest. She also missed his friendship. When her family left the castle for a better education, she'd lost contact with Aviander and missed him terribly. So when he suggested to go exploring in the castle like they did when they were little, she wanted to.

"Do you remember the secret passageway underneath the sitting room? It leads to that private deck, remember?" he asked her, leading her towards the room they played in as children. She smiled at the memories they had.

"Of course I remember. I'm older than you, you know."

"Just making sure," he said playfully before crawling into the floorboards. Elysia followed him, closing the boards when she got down. Part of her dress got caught, and she gently tugged it out, hoping it didn't rip. Unfortunately, it did a little, but it was unnoticeable. So, on they went, for only about five minutes. The dark didn't bother Elysia, she could see just fine because her daughter of Hades night vision.

When they reached their secret deck, she was amazed by the night sky, but even more surprised that there was now a table with a candle, snacks, and roses. She looked to Aviander in surprise. "What is this?" she asked.

"Well, Elysia, it's a quiet place to talk. I want to say that I have missed you a lot. The roses were just because you always loved those flowers."

"I want to be clear that you and I are only friends, alright?"

"We were more than that at one point, you know that," he said.

"But we're not anymore."

"Okay, then. We're just two friends having a glass of sparkling cider."

She hesitantly sat down. She didn't want to lead him on, but leaving didn't seem like something he would let her do willingly, until she heard what he had to say. "Why won't you tell me who you're after?" he asked.

"Because I don't know you like I used to. Nobody knows who I think is causing the campers to disappear. It's still just an idea, anyway."

"I do. You think it's Chaos, don't you?"

She sighed. "Yes, I do. I think Chaos is the reason campers are going missing." She took a small sip from the cider, to make sure it was actually that in the first place. It was, and she took a bigger drink.

"Do you really think I'd give you alcohol?" Aviander asked.

"No, but I had to check."

"If you trust me, why would you?" he asked, looking down at his glass.

"Because you're creeping me out, Aviander. I'm sorry if I seem different now, but I really don't want to be in a relationship with you."

He just looked sad and then stood to look over the edge. Elysia stood, too, and gently put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Elysia, it is unfortunate that you're the daughter of death." She narrowed her eyes, but his gaze was still down at the water. "I'm sorry I had to do this."

"Do what?" Elysia asked.

He turned his gaze to her eyes and said, "Poison you."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, thinking only of the cider she drank. "With what?" she asked, already starting to feel weird. Her breaths became shallow slowly. Her eyes were getting heavy.

"I'm not going to answer that."

She began to lose her balance, and she gripped the railing for support, scared he'd push her. Before she could fall over, she let herself sit down on the cold stone of the deck. She stared at him with a burn of betrayal in her eyes. "I'll see to it that you go to the Fields of Punishment," she said in a cold and deadly voice.

He looked down at her with his icy blue eyes. "If I die, you will. Goodbye, Elysia," he said, walking the way he came. He locked the door, she could hear it. She was trapped.

A single tear cascaded down her cheek, and she found it hard to breathe. She took off her mask, and then lay down. This time, she couldn't force her eyes to open once they slipped closed.

(Present time)

Lucie gathered the rest of the quest goers into a quiet place to talk. "Something's happened to her! I'm not crazy. We need to find her…" Lucie said, pacing across the floor of the sitting room.

"What do you think happened to her, exactly?" Annabeth said, taking a seat on a couch.

"I don't know! Something's just _wrong._" Lucie kicked off her heels. "I just don't know where she could be. There's hundreds of hiding spots in this castle," she said, panicking.

"Hey… is that?" Jay asked, staring at the floorboards behind Lucie. He ran there, then picked up a thin strip of purple satin fabric. "There's a secret passage!" he said, lifting the floorboards and running down the tunnel.

Lucie followed behind him, along with all the others. "Elysia?" Lucie and Jay called.

After about two minutes of running at their top speed, they reached a deck. Jay's heart hurt like someone stabbed him when he saw Elysia on the ground, unmoving. He rushed to her and put two fingers on her neck.

"No," Lucie said, crumbling down to her knees, tears hanging in her eyes, soon to be let go. "Is there a pulse?"

He prayed to Hades not to take her yet. He didn't know what happened.

"Let me through!" Rhea yelled suddenly. Everyone made way for her. Rhea's eyes had tears in them, too, but she blinked them away. Her eyes drifted from Elysia to the glass of apple cider on the table. She stood and smelled the glass. "No…" she mumbled. She bent back down over Elysia and checked her pulse, which Jay had been interrupted.

"What's wrong with her?" Zayne asked.

Rhea stood, trying not to cry. "She's not dead, but she will be. She's been poisoned. It's rare kind of poison and almost incurable. She's been poisoned with amphisbaena poison," Rhea said, fighting tears.

"You said almost," Percy said, still holding on to a last shred of hope.

"It might as well be incurable. I cannot simply create a remedy for this like I could do with most other poisons. The only way to cure it is to find an amphisbaena and take it's blood from the other side."

"What do you mean?" Reyna asked.

"The story is when the original Perseus slayed Medusa, he took her head when he walked through the desert. Drops of Medusa's blood created the amphisbaena, the two headed snakes with wings and feet. Medusa was a gorgon, therefore, gorgon's blood created them. If you take blood from a gorgon, the right side will cure anything, the left will kill you instantly and painlessly. The amphisbaena blood is similar, only much more easier to get, even with how rare it is. If you take blood from the front head, with the wings and feet, it'll heal most diseases. If you take blood from the tail head, it'll kill you rather quickly only… painfully. Judging by how much she would have drank if the glass was full, and judging by how long she's most likely been here, I'd say we only have ten minutes, at most, to save her. We'd have to find an amphisbaena to extract the blood, and there isn't any around here," Rhea answered, trying to keep her voice strong.

Everyone looked at Elysia. She did look beautiful earlier, but now, even with the permanent makeup, you could see her skin was unnaturally pale, and her hair looked slightly dull. She lay limp, and her face didn't look peaceful. She looked as if she was having a nightmare in her sleep, only she didn't move.

Jay was trying hard to hold back a single tear from escaping. Guys didn't cry, especially demigod guys. As much as he wanted to let those tears flow freely, he couldn't. The girls would need him to be strong.

"I knew something was wrong," Lucie said, tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks.

Jay couldn't do anything about it, and he hated it.

"Jay… we need to get her inside, someplace warm," Rhea said. "Guys, please carry her." Rhea let tears escape now. It seemed wrong that their leader would be the first to fall. She watched as Percy and Jay carried her back towards the sitting room, down the secret passage.

Rhea went to Lucie and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come on, we need to go with them."

She picked up Elysia's mask, staring at it mournfully. "We're just giving up?" she yelled in frustration. "Why don't we at least _try_ to save her?"

"Because there is no amphisbaena here, Lucie. It's a lost cause," Rhea said, trying to wipe her own cheeks. She hated showing weakness.

"Don't you have something?" she asked, looking up at her through her tears.

"Possibly," she realized. If she could only get her bag from the stables, she might be able to save Elysia. "Go, go inside!" she rushed Lucie. "Tell them I'll be there in a little while."

Lucie nodded, now hopeful, and she ran off to her poisoned sister. Rhea pulled out her wand from a band around her thigh. She muttered the travel spell, and suddenly, she was in the stables. She ran to her pegasus, Celestial, and grabbed her bag from the saddle. In it was a vile of a certain potion that was complicated to make. It contained water from both the River Styx and the River Lethe. It wouldn't make Elysia loose her memory, because it was mixed with a ton of other ingredients, but it would heal most anything. It could possibly heal her. She used the spell again, only going to the sitting room.

"Move," she said, making her way to Elysia. She uncorked the vile, opened Elysia's mouth, and slowly poured it in. The texture wasn't thin like most potions. It was thick, but she needed every drop. The color was a dark purple, and it probably tasted disgusting, but once every drop came from the vile, nothing happened. Rhea stared at her, then closed her mouth.

Since there was no response, she checked to make sure there was a pulse. A light thud told her there was a weak one, but that the poison was almost to her heart. "She is dying. We were too late," she said miserably.

Suddenly, Elysia coughed and gasped for air. She squeezed her eyes tight, like it was painful.

"Elysia?" Lucie asked, staring at her sister.

Her eyes still weren't open. She just kept coughing, not even awake. Everyone watched her with wary silence. After about a minute of coughing, she stopped, then began to wake up. They slowly saw as the effects of the poison drain out of her. Her eyes opened, but it was like she didn't see anyone or anything in particular for a second. Then, she blinked, and tried to sit up.

"No," Rhea said, keeping her down. "Do you have any idea what you just went through?"

Elysia shook her head. "It's… blurry. I just… some poison, and…" she mumbled before she began to cough again. Lucie didn't care that her sister wasn't talking coherently, so she threw her arms around her sister, happy to see her alive.

"Lucie… everyone… there's something you need to know," Elysia began, trying to clear her throat. She frowned at the taste in her mouth. "I know who's causing the campers to disappear…"

"What?" Reyna asked.

"It's Chaos," she mumbled, wincing in pain.

"What hurts?" Rhea asked her, feeling weird playing doctor.

"My throat hurts, Rhea, and it's hurting like hell," she said, grabbing her throat.

"I'll give you nectar. That should help the burn of the antidote I gave you."

"What was in that? It… tasted gross."

"Water from the Rivers Styx and Lethe, along with many other unpleasant things I won't say. The point is that you're going to be fine. Now, back to the Chaos thing. Are you sure?"

She nodded before taking a large sip of the nectar. "I'm positive. I also get this sense of déjà vu, like I've done this before. It just feels… right. It has to be Chaos," Elysia said, beginning to feel better already.

Percy's gaze went cold. "She's right," he said. "When she described that nightmare to me, it… it had to be Chaos, but why would she send someone to kill you?"

"She told me she awaited me. This was to buy information, slow us down. She knows the entire prophecy now, and that's why she tried to kill me. I think I have a bigger part in the quest than I realize," she said, looking down to her dress. This night had seemed so perfect until then. Why did it have to be ruined by this?

"Elysia… you don't mean…" Jay trailed off.

"That's exactly what I mean, Jay. I think I…"

"Don't you dare say that, Ely, don't you dare," Lucie said angrily. "You're not getting this close to death again."

"She tried to have me killed, Lucie!" Elysia said, now looking her sister directly in the eye. "I have to be more important than just the leader. You could be leading this quest, but why me? There's no doubt that I would sacrifice myself to save all of you. If that's how fate intends it, that's how it will be."

"I would do the same. It could be me," Lucie said stubbornly.

"She doesn't think so. It very well could. It could be any of you, but she thinks it's me. I'm fine with the target being on my back. It would save all of you."

"But we're not fine with it!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, Luce. I can't change what the Fates have set in store for me. We should get back to the party before people notice we've been gone."

"Elysia…" Lucie said.

She already began to stand as she picked up her mask. "We need to get back in there. I promise to take it easy," Elysia said as she put it back on. With a sad look, she left the rest of them in there, stunned at what just took place. In honesty, she was panicking about it, too. She didn't want to make them so sad. She wished she never went to talk to Aviander. Elysia went out to the ballroom, glancing at the crowd with a nervous feeling.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers. "Ely."

Immediately, she knew the voice. "Jay, please, I don't want to talk," she answered.

"Then how about we finish that dance?" he asked, moving into her line of sight. He gently grabbed both of her hands.

Elysia forced a smile. "Was it even really a dance?"

"I think so," Jay replied. "Or maybe it was more."

Elysia's heart pounded. He moved closer to her, his mouth only centimeters from hers. She didn't pull away. She didn't say anything. Once their lips met, she kissed him back. He kissed her tenderly, sweetly, and she returned the favor. Their kiss ended when he pulled away.

He caressed her cheek, and she realized a tear fell. "I know you're scared. You don't show that too well, but I can see it."

She wrapped him into a hug that she desperately needed. Being a daughter of Hades, she shouldn't fear death. She should laugh in its face, but she didn't fear much for her own life as she did for someone else's. Jay's life. Lucie's life. Percy's life. Anyone from their group dying would make her feel like a failure as a leader, and more importantly, as a friend.

"Thank you," Elysia said when she pulled away. A warm feeling went to her heart, reminding her of the dull cold she'd felt with the poison. Overall, it was easy to say which feeling she preferred. "Now we should get back to dancing."

He smiled a genuine smile as he put a hand on her waist and began to dance as he did earlier in the night.

After such a hectic day, the dance was nice and sweet. It felt good not to have to think about the end of the world or the end of her friends' lives. She just got to dance with a great guy.

About an hour later, Elysia saw her uncle get onto stage and steal the microphone away from someone. He still had on his mask, but Ely knew it was him, especially when he said, "Now, everyone, you may take off your masks. The party is now over."

Elysia pulled her mask off and watched as Jay took off his. She smiled slightly at his messed up hair.

"Elysia!"

She turned around, knowing who it was. "Ryan!"

He walked to her. "I knew it was you. You look stunning."

She gave him a hug and pulled away. "Ryan, this is Jay, a friend of mine. Jay, this is my stepdad, Ryan."

"Hey," Jay said, nervous. He only imagined how he'd be around Hades.

"Hello, Jay. Is that short for anything?" he asked, shaking his hand.

"No, it's not short for anything. Are you Mason's brother?" Jay asked.

He nodded and said, "I wasn't thinking of coming, but then I thought I would run into you. How is your quest coming?" he asked Elysia.

"I'm not sure yet. So far, nothing bad has happened…" she glared at Jay with a _don't say anything_ look. "I'm just happy for that."

"Me, too. Where's Lucie?" he asked.

"Over there," Elysia answered. She walked over to Lucie. "Luce, Ryan's here!" Then, she whispered in her ear, "Don't tell him about me being poisoned. You know that would kill him."

Lucie nodded ever so slightly. "Hey, Lucie!" Ryan said, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey, Ryan, it's good to see you! How's mom?" Lucie asked. "Or is she here?"

Elysia looked panicked for a reason Jay didn't know. Her eyes drifted to Ryan. He looked at Elysia and Lucie and said, "She's fine. She didn't want to come tonight, but she's fine." His eyes seemed to linger on Elysia's, and Jay started to put the pieces together.

Elysia's mother was dead, and they were waiting for the right time to tell Lucie.

He couldn't believe Elysia had been carrying that burden. Also, the burden of the nightmare with Chaos. Elysia was keeping secrets from everyone, and he realized, all of them were to protect this quest. If they'd known it was Chaos in the beginning, how many people would have gone on this quest? Not enough.

He didn't feel any anger towards her for keeping secrets, though he knew most people would. Elysia was just the type to keep secrets. She was a mysterious person. He knew that when he met her. Of course, there were things he was keeping secret, too. Things he didn't want anyone to really know about him yet.

He'd been so zoned out, he hadn't realized Ryan left. "Bye," he said as he began to walk away.

"Elysia, I'm still mad at you," Lucie said, staring at her sister with deep sadness.

"I know, Luce," she said, walking away. Jay followed her. They reached a quiet, uncrowded place.

"Elysia… is your mother dead?" Jay asked as softly as he could.

She looked down to the floor. "Yes, Jay, she is. Ryan didn't think so. Now, the way he looked at me and told me that… I know for sure. She's gone. I just can't tell Lucie that, because she has enough to worry about on this quest, and if she found out that I was keeping that secret…" she let the thought drift into the air. Lucie wouldn't forgive Elysia for that.

"I understand," he said, giving her a hug.

"You know, Nico once told me something that didn't make much sense until now."

"What is that?"

"He told me that he valued life more than he mourned death. I finally get it," she said. "It makes much more sense than I would have thought at first. Life is short, but death is forever."

He nodded, not fully understanding it. He wasn't sure what else to say. Elysia and Jay walked back out into the crowd.

"Guys, have you seen anyone?" Rhea asked.

They both shook their heads. "That's weird," she said. "I can't find anyone. I'm surprised I found you two in the first place."

"What?" Elysia asked, scanning the crowd. "Where's my sister?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen anyone until I saw you."

"That's bad, that's very, very bad."

* * *

><p><em>You didn't think I'd give you a break, did you? xD I love cliffhangers. Leave me your opinion of what's happened so far, please! It's always great to hear from you all.<em>


	13. Part One: Chapter X

**Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

X

"Jeez, what's with this?" Jay muttered, now scanning the crowd, looking for any sign of Percy, Annabeth, Reyna, Jason, Lucie or Zayne. He didn't find anyone or anything.

"We'll split up," Elysia said. "We need to find them. Keep eyes on each other."

It was a risky move, but one they needed to do. They weren't going to find six people in one group. It wasn't going to happen. Jay scanned the crowd of leaving people. Elysia scanned the crowd near the symphony. Rhea was scanning the ways up the corridors.

Suddenly, a hand clamped over Jay's mouth and he was being pulled backward. He tried to fight it, but there wasn't anything to fight. Endless shadow came over him, and he didn't know where he was or who he was with.

Rhea couldn't find anyone. Even when she looked back to find Jay, she didn't see anything. "Elysia!" she yelled.

Elysia's eyes snapped to her across the whole ballroom. She immediately looked to the place Jay was, and didn't see anything. Then, she watched as Rhea vanished right in front of her.

People began to notice that people were disappearing, so they all rushed to get away. Elysia wasn't sure how to fight whatever was attacking them. She turned around, seeing if there was anything she could see, but there was nothing. She walked towards a wall, hoping that it couldn't get her from behind.

Once her back touched the wall, she felt a little safer. She kept her eyes sharp on anything in front of her. Soon, the ballroom was empty, and even their uncle wasn't anywhere to be seen. Apparently, he ran up the stairs to his corridor. This was the first attack Elysia could think of that involved people disappearing in front of other people.

She didn't want to move her back from the wall, but she was trying to make a decision. Either she was going to save them from finding them without being taken to wherever, or she was going to let whatever was after her to take her to her friends. Deciding the latter was an easier option, she stepped away from the wall.

The ballroom being empty was unusual in itself. Her heels clicked on the floor loudly. Abruptly, she felt a hand over her mouth and she melted into darkness.

Her vision refocused, and she saw all her friends, safe and sound, up in some room. "Guys?" she asked.

"Hey."

"What's going on?"

"Why don't you ask me?" a voice asked.

She spun around. "Nico?"

He smiled. "Hey, sis."

Elysia hugged him in a daze. "Jeez, Nico, way to frighten your sister. I thought you disappeared!"

"I did, just not like everyone else. I shadow travelled to the Underworld to talk to spirits who may remember this since the gods are no help. They told me who to talk to, only she wasn't there."

"She?"

He nodded. "Alexandria of Sparta. Apparently, she chose to be reborn not too long ago. The thing is… there's no way to get her memory back."

"Do you know who she was reborn as?" Elysia asked.

Nico looked uncomfortable as he nodded. "The only way to get back her memory is through death, and we can't kill her."

"Who is she?" Elysia asked.

"You."

Of course, hers was the only mouth to drop in the entire room. Nico probably told them already. She closed her mouth, staring at him in confusion. "But…"

"They told me you had a strange sense of déjà vu about Chaos. Want to know why? You're the reincarnation of her killer. Her nemesis. You are the only one who has killed her in the past. You are the only one who can kill her now."

Elysia's lip trembled. If she was the only one… "That means I'm going to die."

Nico looked apologetic. "Remember what I told you: value life more than you mourn death. Elysia, I'm very sorry."

Her eyes shed no tears. She wouldn't show weakness like that. After all, she was the only one to face Chaos. Unfortunately, she didn't live through that, so it was unlikely she'd live this time, too. Lucie's face was a portrayal of her anger and sadness. She'd only just gotten Elysia back, and now it seemed like she was being ripped away. Elysia felt terrible for this whole situation.

"Don't be sorry for me," she found herself saying. "I'm willing to do it. I'm just sorry for the people I'm leaving behind." Her gaze landed on Jay, then Lucie, then the rest of her companions.

Nico nodded like he understood. "I also found out more information than just that. The spirits are whispering about an army in Alaska."

"No," Percy groaned. "Not that place again…"

"What happened there?" Elysia asked.

"Giant stuff."

"Oh," Elysia said.

"Alaska is too far out of the gods' reach. They won't be able to even help us there. Once we get there, we're completely on our own."

"Will we…"

"Loose our powers? No, we won't. The gods just won't be able to do anything extra to help us like they do on occasion."

Elysia sunk down into a chair. "This is terrible. If there's an army, how in Hades' name are we supposed to attack them by ourselves? We're only nine people, Nico, ten if you join us."

"I can't do that yet. Chances are I'll meet you in Alaska. It took a lot of work just to find you here. I won't be able to find you in random wilderness. Anyway, the best way to attack them is to use stealth. Possibly use shadow travel."

"No! I couldn't do that for all of us, Nico."

"I know. It wouldn't work. I'll have more information when we meet in Alaska," he said.

"How will we find you?"

"I'll find you, Ely."

"Have you already been to Alaska?"

"No, I haven't. If I had found it already, I would have shadow travelled you there one at a time. Instead, I shadow travelled you here, to the turret in your uncle's castle. Oh, and no one can know I'm not gone like the others. I have a plan."

"Nico…" Elysia began, like she was about to give some emotional speech. When he looked to her, she smiled and punched his arm.

"What was that for?" he asked, wincing.

"Don't you dare worry me like that again, or you'll regret it. You should also apologize to Hazel, Nico, she's a wreck."

"I can't do that," he replied.

"Why?"

"Because she's missing."

Sorrow filled the room again. "Who else?" Percy asked.

"Odette Heaven, Ajax Stone, and Lola Cullen, to name a few. Population's down seventy five percent at both camps."

"Oh my gods," Annabeth said.

"The Hunters are down even more than that. They're down to twenty percent left. The Amazons are half empty, only demigods went missing. No mortals. The population of New Rome is even more depressing. Those places have become ghost towns," Nico said disappointedly.

"That's insane," Percy mumbled. "It's a miracle none of us have disappeared, too."

"That's because you're never in one place. She knows you're coming to her, why would she take you? She thinks you're walking into her trap."

"I don't think that's it," Elysia said. Her head began to hurt, like she should remember something. "Chaos isn't that arrogant. Chaos… she is planning something, I can feel it. I also know it…" she trailed off, confused.

"Can you remember anything?" Nico asked.

Elysia closed her eyes and shook her head, but she did remember one thing: Chaos' cold hands around her throat, and her stabbing her stomach. It wasn't something pleasant to remember.

"Sorry, I just don't remember anything. I can't, right? It's the River Lethe water that made me lose my memory. I can't get it back until I die. My only question is: why did I wait so long to be reincarnated?"

"I don't know, Elysia, but I'm trying to figure it out," Nico said. "Whatever reason… it had something to do with a prophecy, I think. It's just a big mystery I'm trying to solve. I should get going now, but I promise I'll see you in Alaska. Goodbye and good luck," he said before giving Elysia a hug. He melted into shadow after that and was gone.

"That was kind of helpful," Reyna said. "At least we know where to look for sure," she said. "Look, Elysia…"

"I don't want anyone's pity. Death is nothing for me. I…" she winced as small memories came back. "Look, death wasn't so bad… I remember it…"

"Gods, Ely…" Lucie said, understandably a mess.

"Luce, come on. You know it's for the best. Why don't we take Nico's advice and just enjoy life and not worry about its ending?" Elysia asked. "I don't want the rest of our time together to be depressing."

Eventually, everyone agreed, probably because of their pity, but she was determined to make it seem like it was no big deal. She didn't want their grief. There would be time for that when she didn't have to suffer the misery of watching. Elysia said that she was tired, and she left them up in the turret. She just really needed to be alone.

Walking down the empty hallways of the castle seemed ominous, especially when it was so dark inside. Her heels once again echoed in empty silence, and this time, it got on her nerves. She took them off and held them as she walked down the stairs alone. Flight after flight passed by until she reached what she thought was the right floor. Instead, she realized she needed to go up one more flight. She went back up to her room and closed the door, remembering to lock it. Immediately, she set her mask on the bed. She began to remove the dress, but it was difficult to do on her own. She loosened the corset in the back after a few minutes of trying. Once that task was done, the rest was easy. The dress slid off easily, and she walked to the wardrobe to grab something warm to wear to sleep. A black silk nightgown was right in front, so she grabbed it.

Once she changed, she sat in front of the vanity and tried to undo her hair. It was a painfully slow process, and after an hour of pulling out bobby pins and hair decals, she finally saw her somewhat normal hair. She took out a brush and began to brush it, smoothing away curls and tangles.

After that, she wasn't tired. Not even in the slightest. In boredom, she decided to wander around the castle like she used to when she couldn't sleep. Each time, she found something new to take in or look at. It was too large for just her uncle and his friends to live in.

She found herself walking up the stairs towards the turret. She stopped abruptly when she felt as if someone was next to her. Now, she'd heard of ghost stories in the castle, but never believed them. They were overrated. Even if she was a daughter of Hades, those stories seemed stupid.

It was a draft. She knew that if it had been the dead, she would have seen them. So where was the draft coming from? She followed the way it felt to be coming from. An open window was in an abandoned room that she didn't ever pay attention to.

Her senses went crazy. She was way too far up for someone to have climbed in, and no one, unless suicidal, would have gone down that way. It was a setup for her to go look out the window.

"Aviander, come out!" Elysia said, knowing he'd be here. After all, if Elysia lived, he would just have to kill her in her sleep.

There was no response. She twirled her ring, making it grow to Iroida, her stygian iron blade. Her eyes, so sharp in the dark, couldn't detect anything wrong. Her ears didn't catch any sound of movement. She began to wonder if she was crazy, but facts were facts, and an open window this high up didn't make logical sense.

She inched backwards to the window. Curiosity burned in her veins to check it, but she stopped moving. It very well could be a trick. If Aviander wanted her dead, she would put up a fight, not fall for whatever trap he had planned.

After being there for fifteen minutes with her sword ready, she started to back up to the wall. If Aviander wanted to catch her by surprise or curiosity, it wasn't working. He'd have to come out bravely and fight her.

Suddenly, she froze. Ice began to form on her, and she was freezing cold. "Son of Khione…" she trailed off, realizing what he could do. She tried to break the ice, but it was a lost cause. He was winning. Her sword was freezing, too, and soon, Aviander appeared from outside the doorway.

"You're just too smart, Elysia."

If she could shiver, she would have. At the moment, she could barely speak. "You coward," she spat. "I would kill you in a fair fight."

"That's not much incentive for me to fight fair." His icy, cold glare was creepy, but she'd never give him the satisfaction of telling him that.

She had to think. Fire melted ice, but how was she supposed to melt this? She had no fire. Nor water, which really sucked. Suddenly, she had a crazy idea, but if she could make him mad enough to kick her over the edge…

"You're pathetic, Aviander. The Aviander I knew would have fought someone who insulted them, not glared at them while watching them freeze," she said.

"If you're trying to trick me into fighting you, it won't work."

Inside, she smiled at how she was playing him. "Fine, stay pathetic. I can't believe you wouldn't fight a girl. What, are you scared of a daughter of Hades? Of what her daddy will do to you?"

She realized he was losing concentration. Her hands could almost freely move. "No," he said simply, trying to restrain his anger. "I'm just being smart."

"Is it being smart or weak, I wonder?" she taunted.

"Shut up!" he yelled.

"Oh, careful, Aviander. You're going to wake up everyone in the castle. If I die, they'll kill you, and I'll laugh when you're sentenced to eternal punishment."

"Shut up!" he repeated, slapping her face. Luckily, it broke ice. Unluckily, he hit her hard.

"You have become a whiny, power hungry, pathetic jackass, Aviander," Elysia said, trying to move her feet. It was a success.

Apparently, he didn't notice, either, which was good for her. How he didn't, she didn't know. Drops were coming off her left and right. Or maybe he was using up the last of his abilities. At this point, he'd be tired of doing this, and easy to subdue in a fight.

Suddenly, he kicked her, breaking all the ice and managing to push her out of the window. She freefell, but didn't scream. Instead, she whistled, hoping that her plan would work. If not… well, she tried not to think that way.

She saw Aviander's face as she successfully landed on the back of Jinx, her pegasus. "Good girl," she said to Jinx. "Remind Lucie to remind me to pack you extra sugar cubes."

A neigh echoed in the night, probably waking anyone in the castle. Jinx flew higher up, right next to the window, and Elysia jumped inside, looking for Aviander. Wet footprints, that wouldn't be seen by normal eyes in this darkness, went higher up, probably to a secret passage that lead down. Nonetheless, she followed them, carefully, making sure she didn't end up stepping into another trap.

The passageway started spiraling downwards, no lights, no anything. She hoped Aviander would trip. She could hear his ragged breathing coming from ahead/below her. She sped up because she could see the steps perfectly. Soon, he came into sight. "Aviander, you've lost this."

Suddenly, he pulled out a dagger and cut her arm. She slashed her sword at him, and he narrowly blocked it with his knife. He tried to slash her again, but Elysia blocked it and held the sword to his throat. "Put down the knife," she ordered.

He bent down, and she expected him to just drop the dagger. Instead, he smacked away her sword and tackled her. He still had his knife, and he stabbed her leg. She could feel blood spilling from it, but she elbowed his head, and he smacked against the wall of the tunnel. He tried to slash her again, but he missed when she rolled over. With her good leg, she kicked his face, and his head hit the wall again. This time, he was clearly passed out. She stood, gripping the railing for support, and picked up his dagger. She picked up her sword, too, and changed it back to her ring.

Knowing she needed to fix her leg wound fast because nobody would find her unless she got out of there, she used the dagger to cut a long strip of silk from her nightgown and created a tourniquet. After that, she began to ascend up the stairs.

She knew she probably should have left him there, but she dragged him with her. Her leg wound hurt terribly, but she didn't let it affect her mood much. The Nemean Lion was definitely worse.

Once she got close, she heard echoes of "Elysia!" and murmurs of questions along the lines of "Where is she? Jinx said…"

Elysia pushed open the secret passage door and dragged Aviander out of there, surprising everyone. She immediately fell to her hands and knees.

"Gods, what happened?" Lucie asked.

Elysia looked up at her, "Tried to kill me. Again."

"Well, looks like he didn't get away this time," Jason said, looking at the bloody scratch on his head.

"I banged his head against a stone wall twice. He's not waking up for a while," Elysia said, beginning to stand, immediately regretting it. She crumbled to the ground again, this time, grunting in pain.

"What happened?" Reyna asked, kneeling down to her.

"Dagger to the leg isn't ever really fun."

"Jeez, someone just keeps getting beat up," Jay said, offering a hand to help her up. She took it gratefully, then tried to walk. Jay noticed the cut on her arm and shook his head.

"Elysia," Annabeth said, taking in her appearance.

"What?"

"You're luck is worse than Percy's," she joked. Elysia smiled as Jay helped her to a chair.

"Anyone have nectar or ambrosia?" she asked, pulling up her nightgown to check out the wound.

"Did the knife have poison on it?" Rhea asked, looking at the wound.

"No," Elysia answered. "At least, I don't think so. It feels like an ordinary stab wound."

Rhea inspected it carefully, and gave Elysia a little nectar to drink. In an instant, she started to feel better.

"There wasn't any poison this time, thankfully. What were you even doing up here?"

"Hey, be thankful I didn't fall asleep. I would have been dead for sure. I just wasn't tired, so I decided to walk around the castle. When I felt a breeze, I knew something wasn't right. I almost went straight to the window, but I hesitated. It just felt like a trap. I figured it was Aviander, finishing what he started. I backed up against a wall and waited. After a while, I got restless. He froze me, and I distracted him as best I could. He got angry at me and kicked me out the window, and I called Jinx. Then, I chased after him."

"You are either one of the luckiest or unluckiest people alive," Jason said. "I'm just glad you weren't killed."

"Me, too, I guess. Anyway, I actually am tired now," Elysia said, stifling a yawn.

"You're not sleeping by yourself," Reyna said. "With your luck, there'll be five more people in this castle trying to kill you. I say all of us girls share a room."

"We don't need to," Elysia said. "I'll be fine, really."

"Nope, Elysia, we're going to do this. The gods' know the rooms are big enough. C'mon," she said, helping her walk towards the closest room: Elysia's.

The girls all walked in and settled down. Elysia crashed on the bed because she was so worn down. The other girls soon followed her example.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, time for an explanation. I've been rather busy again. I don't think it will let up until mid June when school ends. Things just keep cropping up unexpectedly. I'm so sorry for that! I feel awful for leaving you all hanging for so long on this chapter.<em>

_Now that we've got that out of the way, I want to note that I changed my pen name to **xFullmetalSoulx**, in case there was any confusion on why my name wasn't** xSSATayleyx**._

_Just so you know, I've been working on other stories as well as this one. Not all are PJ, but still... I want to devote my time equally to the stories I've been writing. I know it's terrible timing because I barely have enough time to update as is, but... when a good idea comes to mind, you can't let it pass you by. You simply can't. Recently, my mind has been going into overdrive with creative ideas for all kinds of things (even the sequel to THIS story!)_

_Again, I apologize for my lack of updates. I love you all so much! (not to sound creeperish...)_

_Now please click that review button below to give me awesome feedback that inspires updates... Please? xD_


	14. Part One: Chapter XI

**Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

XI

It was late when anyone woke up, except for Elysia. You'd think she'd have dropped her weird quality of always waking up at six thirty, especially with the one day she slept in, but no. For her, sleep worked in mysterious ways. If she were to have fallen asleep at four, she'd still wake at six thirty. For some reason, if she were to fall asleep earlier than normal, for example, eight, she'd wake up later than usual.

With her spare time, she tried to fall back asleep. She honestly did. She knew that she'd need the sleep to keep up her strength for the rest of their quest, but her mind was too busy. That was something she hated about having ADHD. Her mind was always working.

Elysia eventually fell back asleep, probably around seven thirty.

Okay, Elysia was accustomed to getting nightmares at night. She'd been having them since she was little. Only now… well, her luck ran out. She was having a nightmare during the morning, which wasn't cool.

It was Chaos again, no surprise. _"Alexandria of Sparta, I cannot wait for you to watch your friends suffer and die. Only when I decide to be merciful will I let you die. You will regret not joining me those millennia ago."_

"I don't even remember that life!" Elysia said. "You can't hold me accountable for that."

"_You don't realize how wrong you are, daughter of Hades. Now, for your attitude, you shall suffer greatly."_

She woke up in a cold sweat. She hated Chaos with all her heart, and she was terrified about the last part of her dream. No one was in the room with her anymore. She was completely alone. Nervously, she stood and began to walk out the door.

"I can't believe…" Rhea's voice trailed off.

"I know," Annabeth's voice replied softly.

Elysia stood there, in the doorway, utterly confused at what they were talking about. She decided to listen more to their conversation.

"We can't let Elysia know yet," Rhea said, sounding upset. "She needs to rest up."

"You got that right, but she deserves to know that…"

"Stop! We don't know for sure, anyway. Let's just go back and check on her."

Elysia decided to come clean. When they walked towards her, she said, "Deserve to know what?"

"Elysia…" Rhea said, trailing off.

"Zayne's missing. The last he was seen was at four this morning."

Elysia sighed, but she didn't show any surprise or anger. She knew what Chaos was doing. Chaos was trying to break her spirits, trying to beat her down emotionally. Elysia wasn't going to let it happen easily. If it came down to it, she wouldn't show any emotion. It would be hard, yes, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice. It wasn't like Elysia wanted to seem emotionless and careless, but she probably had to.

"You're not surprised," Annabeth mentioned.

"I knew something happened. I was right," Elysia replied.

"Did you see what happened in a dream?" Rhea asked.

"No, but Chaos warned me that she would do something. She's trying to torture us, make us weak…" Elysia muttered softly. She hated it that her friends were being used. "I'm going to kill Chaos for this."

"Elysia, calm down. You need to rest."

"I don't need to rest, okay? I slept in. I've been healed. What I need is something to eat," Elysia said, completely disregarding their concern for her. She didn't want to be weak and have to rest all day. It wasn't what a leader should do. Elysia needed to be strong, to be their strength.

"Elysia, it's okay to rest. You were poisoned yesterday and you were stabbed in the leg," Annabeth said.

"I'm fine. We should get going immediately," she said, walking back to her room to change.

"No," Rhea said bluntly. "We're staying here at least until tomorrow. I'd say all of us need to rest up."

"Fine," Elysia said reluctantly. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Where do you think you're going?" Rhea asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to change and then get something to eat, Rhea. Relax," Elysia said, closing her bedroom door and locking it. She went to the wardrobe and glumly looked over the clothing. She grabbed out a black slim fit t-shirt, black skinny jeans, thick wool socks, and her combat boots. In the back of the wardrobe, a dark purple jacket caught her eye. It was an expensive windbreaker jacket, one of her personal favorite types. She tugged it from its hanger and put it on.

Deciding her hair was an absolute mess, she went and brushed it out. "Damn, it's too long," she muttered under her breath. She twisted her ring so Iroida, her sword, emerged. She took the blade to her hair. She cut off about one third of it. Surprisingly enough, the haircut looked pretty good. Her hair now went just under her shoulders.

Once she was ready, she sat down on her bed, glancing out her window. The sun was beautiful against the Canadian trees. She went and stood next to the window to get a better view. Suddenly, a knock at her door caught her attention.

Elysia walked over and answered the door. "Hey, how are you doing?" Jay asked.

She didn't know what to say. "I don't know. Everything is just a mess, it's hard to think through it all. I'm not sure how I feel about Zayne going missing, how I feel about my death, how I feel about having a past life, and how I feel about… you."

"How about I tell you how I feel about you?"

"Please, because I don't know if I can handle another thing I can't figure out."

"I really like you, Elysia. I want us to be together, but… I know a lot's going on," he said.

"I don't know how long I'm going to live, Jay. I don't want to hurt you when I'm gone."

"That's not your decision, Elysia."

"But I feel extremely guilty because I'm the reason everyone's hurting. My sister was crying for me when I was poisoned. She won't even talk to me now because I said outright that I was going to die. I'm just not sure what to do, Jay. I don't want you to hurt, either," she said, her eyes showing true concern, but no tears.

"Jeez, Elysia, do you even worry for yourself?" Jay asked.

"Of course I do. There's a difference between worrying, though, and giving in to misery. They need me to be strong. If I broke down and let everyone know just how worried I am about this whole situation, they would fall apart."

"Elysia, I admire your strength, but keeping everybody in the dark may not be such a good idea. I think the main reason Lucie's not talking to you is because she might feel that you don't care enough for your own safety."

"You're probably right," she said softly. "Jay, I want to tell you that… I like you, too. I really do want to be more than just friends."

He roped her into a hug that she took with a smile on her face. "Nice haircut, by the way."

Elysia laughed as she pulled away. "My hair was just too long. It could get in the way of fighting. I will admit it feels weird to have shorter hair again."

He smiled and they both walked out of her room to get something to eat.

That day was relatively boring. All the entire group did was sit around and feel sad about Zayne's disappearance. Elysia found out that Rhea used a spell to send Aviander to some abandoned island off the coast of Mexico. Nobody would be seeing him for a while.

Of course, everyone did notice Elysia's closeness with Jay, but nobody really said anything. Tensions were high. They didn't talk much at all. After everyone ate, they all split off to do other things. Elysia and Jay decided to walk around the castle. Jason and Reyna decided to do the same, only going different directions than Jay and Elysia. Percy and Lucie went to visit the pegasai. Rhea just sat alone up in her room, and Annabeth tried to coax her out to no avail.

After they ate dinner, they just decided to go to bed early.

The next day, they all woke up bright and early. Uncle Mason gave them all extra clothes to wear because he knew they were planning on travelling farther north, where it would be colder. All of them had a nice, hot breakfast before heading down to the stables to get their pegasai. Before they set off, they all gave their thanks to Uncle Mason for everything. They left Zayne's pegasus, Frostbite, behind because they thought he deserved a break, and there wasn't anyone to ride him.

Elysia lead them where she thought was towards Alaska. She wanted to cover as much ground as possible. They wasted so much time at the castle. It was hard to believe the events of the Masquerade. Too much happened in just one night.

Anyway, they didn't talk much. It was still too tense for friendly conversation, and with the wind being so loud and the air so cold, they didn't feel like talking. Elysia's gaze stayed far ahead of her, and Jay couldn't help wondering what she was thinking about. Her expression wasn't the happiest he'd ever seen it. He didn't dare talk, though, because he didn't really want everyone hearing it.

After about three hours, Elysia began to descend and everyone followed. She could tell that the pegasai were already tired, despite their few day break. Once she landed, she looked around to make sure it was safe.

"We'll rest for an hour. The pegasai are tired," Elysia said, stroking Jinx's mane. She already loved this pegasus. After all, Jinx saved her life from that fall. She opened her satchel and gave Jinx a few sugar cubes.

A loud noise to their right got everyone's attention. It didn't sound like a normal animal sound. Elysia grabbed out her bow and arrow. She bit back a curse that she didn't have as sharp vision in the day as she did in the night.

Suddenly, a horde of small hooded figures burst out of the trees, screeching loudly. They were carrying small weapons and they tugged at everything. "What is this?" Reyna shrieked as she kicked one away.

"Kobaloi!" Annabeth yelled. "Goblins!"

Elysia traded her bow and arrow for her sword. She kept swinging and swinging, but more and more kept coming. They were being overwhelmed, and the kobaloi tried to steal some of their things. One of them grabbed Elysia's necklace from behind her, almost choking her. She whipped around and hit the kobalos down to the ground in one blow.

After a minute or so of more fighting, Rhea must have cast a spell that scared them off.

"Jeez," Percy said, wiping blood from a cut on his leg. "Those things are annoying."

"They're goblins. They like to frighten mortals and steal their things," Annabeth explained, also wiping blood from her various cuts. "They're usually harmless, all show and no harm, but…"

"They still attacked," Lucie said, cradling her foot. "I think I have one of their spears stuck in my foot…"

Elysia moved to her sister. "Gods, Lucie that looks painful. How did that happen?"

Lucie looked away from her sister. "I was about to kick one of them and it took off my boot. Another stabbed my foot."

Elysia pulled the arrow out, took out her canteen, and poured a little nectar onto the wound.

"Thanks," Lucie said in a monotone.

Elysia looked to the ground before she stood. "You're welcome. Anyway, I think all of us need to drink a little nectar to heal the minor wounds we received." She walked away from her sister and towards Jinx. "Also, we should eat lunch while we have time. We should only stay here for an hour or so."

Nobody said much. Their emotions were still all over the place, and nobody was attempting to try and break through this awkwardness. Elysia was honestly sick of it. When she'd had enough of their unbreakable silence, she gave in to her frustration. "Are we honestly not going to talk? This is terrible," she said.

"What is there to say?" Lucie asked, very standoffish. "We all know you're going to die. Why should we act like nothing's happening?"

"Because I don't want my last memories of all of you to be this depressing. If this is how it will be from here, I'm going alone."

"Don't do that! It would be suicide!" Annabeth said, grabbing Elysia's arm.

"Well, apparently, I'm going to die anyway. I really don't want to be the cause of any more misery. I just can't do it. It's the only thing I ask of all of you. Please, just let my last couple of days be pleasant, at least, or I'm gone."

"There's no way you can stop us from going with you," Reyna said, looking to Elysia seriously. "We won't leave you alone."

"You don't realize that I'm already alone. I haven't been this lonely in my entire life," Elysia answered sadly. "I don't want to deal with this anymore."

"We don't want you to feel that way," Jay said, grabbing her hand, trying to reassure her.

She sighed as he gave her a hug. Elysia didn't know what to do whatsoever. Was she supposed to say anything more? Was she supposed to just vanish in the night? With Jay holding her, she felt terribly confused, even more than usual.

When she pulled away, she looked to the ground. "Elysia, we don't mean for you to feel that way," Jay continued. "I know I don't."

"Neither do I," Percy said. "I don't think any of us want you to feel that bad over something you can't control. I'm sorry for making this worse for you."

Everyone except Lucie apologized. Elysia didn't know what to feel about that. She'd never fought with her sister before this. She hated it that their sisterly bond was coming to such a sad ending. She hated it that she was going to die with her sister hating her.

"Thank you," Elysia said when they'd all finished, though, she didn't feel any better.

Lucie stared at her sister and knew point blank that her sister was still feeling hurt, and yes, she did know why. Lucie, in her own way, was just as stubborn as Elysia. Of course, Lucie felt bad about her making her sister feel terrible, but she wasn't sure how to apologize to her. Also, it wasn't that she resented Elysia, it was that she resented her ensuing death. It made her want to cry, but she wouldn't do that to her sister. She'd already caused enough damage. Crying would only make things worse.

When Elysia began to grab out something to eat for lunch, Lucie was tempted to go talk to her. She didn't only because she didn't think the words "I'm sorry" would cut it.

Lucie sat alone in the corner, watching as everyone tried to cheer Elysia up. When she saw the way Jay looked at her sister, she felt happy that at least someone could lighten her up other than just herself.

She began to eat her lunch in silence. She would apologize to her sister when she got the chance. She just plain had to. The tension wasn't something she enjoyed. As a matter of fact, she hated it. It wasn't fair to Elysia that she was going to die, and Lucie was just making things much worse by acting so selfishly. It couldn't be easy to keep up the façade she was. She was tricking everyone into thinking she was fine with it, but deep down, Lucie knew she was terrified.

Lucie would miss her terribly when she dies. If there was any way possible, she would take her sister's place. Regardless, she knew it couldn't happen. The prophecy was absolutely clear: despair without a hero's hand to be lost in unfamiliar land. Elysia was a hero, for sure. Lucie didn't feel she would be defined as hero.

Lucie felt terrible while they looked pretty happy. She finished her food in a somber silence, almost unpleasant. Why did she have to screw up so badly?

In momentary anger at herself, she stood up abruptly and walked over to her sister. "Ely," she addressed with regret in her voice. "I need to talk to you."

Elysia looked away from her sister's eyes. "Fine," she answered.

They both began to walk away from the group, with their eyes on their backs.

* * *

><p><em>This is such a filler... I just realized that now. Hahah. Anyway, I want to say... I challenge you all! By the time this story ends, if I have at least 200 reviews (or very close to it) I might make this a trilogy. I haven't actually begun writing the second one yet, but I have the basic idea planned out, with ideas for a third. Or I could stop it at two. I just need to know that I have reviewers who will most definitely read the stories I have set in store. They take up a lot of my time. Even when I'm not writing, I'm planning. So, I just want to see if you all can pull of 200 reviews by the time this story ends. I guess if I don't get that many, I could limit it to just the sequel.<em>

_Oh, and I have ideas for the name, but we'll see. I promise that once I've decided (and that it doesn't have any spoilers) that I'll post the name soon._

_Oh... and... does anyone want to submit more OC's? I'd like the ones who didn't recieve a major role in this to be more involved, so RESUBMIT YOUR OLD OC'S with any changes you may have made. If you have a major or semi important character (Lucie, Jay, Zayne, Rhea, or Aviander) you can just give me another character, but yours will most likely come up only if I need them to. THESE OC'S WOULD BE FOR THE SEQUEL, NOT THIS STORY. I want to make that clear._

_Just so you know, this actually will have a clear yes or no. I made a list of major, semi important, and mentioned last time. That won't be the case. There will be very few that I'll accept. It ultimately depends on how well your character suits the story._

_That being said... let us begin._

**Name (first, middle, last):**

**Nickname: **

**Age (between 18 & 13):**

**Gender:**

**Immortal parent (preferably minor gods or titans. NO VIRGIN GODDESS KIDS or BIG THREE):**

**Skills: **

**Fatal Flaw: **

**General Weaknesses: **

**Story (include how you got to CHB): **

**Personality: **

**Likes:**

**Dislikes:**

**Appearance (Height, skin tone, eye color, hair color, hair length, hair type, highlights or no, makeup, ect.): **

**Camp Clothing: **

**Regular Clothing (in detail, please.): **

**Formal Wear (with jewelry, hairstyle, shoes, etc.): **

**Swimwear: **

**Hunter/Amazon: **

**Weapon: **

**Mortal Family (who raised you? NO STREET STORIES, PLEASE. Brothers or sisters? Step siblings? Half mortal siblings? Family life?): **

**Other (tattoos, piercings, etc.): **

**Good or Bad side? (this is strictly your preference. I still may need to change things later.):**

**Romance (any particular non-cannon OR Major OC you want):**

* * *

><p><em>Example. (Another real life friend of mine submitted an OC. Not JadelieraWatkins, who changed her name to JadaWatkins, I think...)<em>

**Name (first, middle, last):** Lessa Lee Keth

**Nickname:** Les

**Age (between 18 & 13):** 17

**Gender:** Female

**Immortal parent (preferably minor gods or titans. NO VIRGIN GODDESS KIDS or BIG THREE):** Pan, deceased god of the Wild.

**Skills:** Manipulating nature, calming down wild animals, identifying plants, animals, "communicating" with animals, archery, blending in with nature.

**Fatal Flaw:** (undecided as of yet)

**General Weaknesses:** Not good in one on one combat, not very fast, small.

**Story (include how you came to CHB):** [Classified.]

**Personality:** Nice, sweet, funny, quiet. Prefers to only have a few friends. Quiet. Bit of a bookworm. Enjoys watching anime.

**Likes:** Forests, anime, books, music, animals, the zoo.

**Dislikes:** Bullies, cities, crowds, animal abusers.

**Appearance (Height, skin tone, eye color, hair color, hair length, hair type, highlights or no, makeup, ect.):** Roughly about 5'4, tanned skin, brown eyes, dark dark brown curly hair that reaches her shoulders, no highlights, no makeup. Sometimes wears her hair in a braid.

**Camp Clothing:** Camp t-shirt, of course, jeans, and tennis shoes.

**Regular Clothing (in detail, please.):** A green and gold t-shirt, regular blue jeans, a grey sweatshirt, black tennis shoes. Wears no jewelry except a friendship bracelet.

**Formal Wear (with jewelry, hairstyle, shoes, etc.):** A white floor length dress with blue accents. She wears her hair up in a bun with some hair loose. Depending on temperature, she'll wear a baby blue shawl. She wears light blue topaz earrings, necklace, and ring. She wears white plumps that are only about 2 inches on the heel.

**Swimwear:** A plain and simple blue one piece.

**Hunter/Amazon:** No.

**Weapon:** A bow duisguised as her friendship bracelet. She brings along her own quiver of arrows. It was enchanted to never run out of arrows.

**Mortal Family (who raised you? NO STREET STORIES, PLEASE. Brothers or sisters? Step siblings? Half mortal siblings? Family life?):** [Classified.]

**Other (tattoos, piercings, etc.):** Nope.

**Good or Bad side? (this is strictly your preference. I still may need to change things later.):** [Classified.]

**Romance (any particular non-cannon OR major OC you want): **Sure, she's open for it.

* * *

><p><em>There's your example. Sorry that some of it's classified, it's only because she's an OC for the up and coming sequel I keep talking about. Oh, and I'll tell you this: you have a higher chance of getting in if your OC is a guy. I don't get many of them... xD<em>

_**NOTE TO ALL: OCs and CANNON CHARACTERS MAY BE KILLED.** (I didn't think I needed to warn people, but... I don't want people offended if their OC or fave PJ cannon gets killed.) This rule applies to both this story and its sequel. Keep that in mind, please!_

_Also, don't forget about your newest challenge: help me reach 200 reviews!_

_So, with that in mind... click that review button, please!_


	15. Part One: Chapter XII

**Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

Chapter XII

"Luce, what do you want?" Ely asked, completely exhausted of their strained feelings. "I'm sorry I can't change my fate. What more do you want to hear from me?"

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Elysia. I…" she sighed. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I was in shock. I hadn't even recovered fully from you being poisoned, I just," she paused as she started to feel tears in her eyes. "I just don't want to lose my sister. I don't want to lose you, Ely. Not again…"

Elysia sighed in joy and relief. So her sister didn't hate her after all. "Luce," Ely said as she gave her sister a hug. "I'm glad we got this worked out. I am personally promising you, though, that I'm going to fight my best to stay alive. I'm not giving in, and that's not going to change."

Lucie smiled halfheartedly. It was nice for her to have finally gotten that off her chest. Though things between them still weren't perfect, it was enough for her to handle. She could get over it. She wanted to laugh at herself, really. It's not like the Underworld didn't exist. Nico could always take her to see her sister. It wouldn't be too different.

When they walked back, everyone looked to them out of the corners of their eyes. Elysia knew they wanted to know what had happened. Elysia just shrugged it off. They would figure it out soon, anyway. She sat down on the ground next to Jay.

Everyone else was chatting. To Elysia, it felt weird Zayne wasn't there with them. Part of her wondered if he left on his own, and the other part wondered if Chaos had anything to do with it. Zayne had always seemed aloof and detached from the group.

"What are you thinking about?" Jay asked.

"Zayne's disappearance. It doesn't make any sense to me," Elysia mumbled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Why is that?" he asked her.

"Because I had a dream of Chaos after he was already gone. If Chaos had taken him, why didn't she warn me before in the dream? That's what she's always done until now."

"You remember her?" Jay asked, wrapping an arm around her.

She nodded. "I don't know how it makes any sense. I shouldn't remember those things, though. I don't know how it's possible…" she trailed off, beginning to toy with her necklace. She gasped. "Jay…"

"What?" he asked in a panic.

"I think it's my necklace," she said, sitting up and taking it off to look at it. The second she did, she began to feel faint.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Jay asked, noticing her fatigue.

"Put it back on me, please," she pleaded, nearly collapsing into his arms.

"Ely?" Lucie asked, running to her side, along with most of their group.

In Jay's arms, she grew pale and lost all consciousness. Jay was startled as he used his shaky hands to clasp the necklace around her neck. Once he did, she immediately looked better than before, but she still hadn't woken up. Something in the necklace must have been tied to her life force. Everyone just stared at her for about five minutes.

Suddenly, she gasped.

"Elysia?" Jay asked, helping her sit up.

Everyone's eyes on her made her uncomfortable. She had never been so startled in her life. "I…" she started, unsure on how to explain what happened. "Give me a minute," she managed, with her breathing still sporadic and her heart still pounding like crazy. She practically cowered in Jay's arms. It wasn't like her to be so startled, and it began to worry everyone else.

"Ely," Jay murmured, stroking her hair. "What happened?"

"I… my necklace that Hades gave me; it does have a purpose after all. I probably shouldn't tell you what it does…"

"We deserve to know," Lucie said, grabbing her sister's hand gently. "What did it do to you that made you so scared?"

"It's not the necklace that scared me."

"What was it, then?" Rhea asked.

"It… showed me something I shouldn't have seen. Or maybe I was meant to, considering Hades gave it to me, but… it goes against plenty of ancient laws," Elysia said, still trying to calm down.

"What did it show you?" Jay asked softly.

"It… showed me my last life, but… it wasn't Alexandria's," Elysia murmured in response.

"What? You're not her?" Percy asked in shock.

"I didn't say that. I said it showed me my previous life. I've been reborn three times already."

"What scared you so badly about seeing that life?" Annabeth asked.

"Alive people aren't supposed to remember lives they've already lived. It was like I was being torn apart. I feel so different now. It's too hard to explain. It's just against ancient laws, the ones that shouldn't be broken," Elysia said, finally beginning to feel safe again. "Not to mention… that death wasn't pleasant." She frowned, looking down. "I had to relive it again. I had to relive everything again. I was watching it, but the pain felt so real…"

"You were only out five minutes, Ely," Reyna said softly. "How could you relive it that quickly?"

"I don't know, but… I've never felt so confused in my life… but I need to do it again," she said with reinforced determination.

"What? No, that was terrifying," Jay said to her.

"I need to know more about Chaos, Jay. It's the only way I can find out more. Besides, I wasn't actually in danger. It just felt like it," Elysia said, looking down at her necklace with a mix of fear and determination.

"Wait, haven't you taken the necklace off before? Why didn't that happen then?" Jason asked, recalling the masquerade.

"I didn't take it off," Elysia said. "But you're right… I don't remember wearing it at the masquerade…"

"What happened to it, then?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know. But that's beside the point. I need to do this," she said, moving her hair out of the way to unclasp the necklace again. "Put it back on me in ten minutes, please."

Jay just watched in silence. He didn't like this idea. She had looked nearly dead the last time she did this. He didn't want to see her like that again. It wasn't a good feeling he had about it, either. If she did that again, what would it cause her to do? Would she panic like she had last time? Would it be worse this time around? His mind was crammed with questions he couldn't answer.

Once she took it off, the moment it left her hand, she leaned back against Jay, looking tired. She closed her eyes instantly, then began to pale again. Her skin got colder and colder. Jay took off his own jacket and placed it on her to keep her from getting any colder.

Everyone watched in silence. At one point, Jay couldn't feel her soft breath on his neck. "Ely?" he said nervously. Only three minutes had passed. He was concerned that she wasn't breathing. He didn't have time to think anything through. There was no choice but to put the necklace back on her. Once it touched her skin, nothing changed, nothing happened.

"Is she alright?" Lucie asked, watching in horror at her unmoving sister.

Time ticked down slowly, and soon, her heart stopped beating. "Elysia?" Jay asked, completely panicked again.

"Why would Hades give her something that would kill her?" Rhea asked, not really concerned for Elysia's safety. "I don't think she'll stay dead, if that's even the state she's in."

"How are you so calm?" Percy asked nervously.

"Because she's the hero," Rhea said darkly. "It's pretty clear how she'll die."

"Still…"

Then, just like the last time, she gasped and snapped her eyes open. This time, she shook like crazy, and it didn't seem to be from the cold. "Elysia Rook, don't you dare scare me like that again," Jay said, holding her tightly.

He felt tears actually soak his shoulder. She wouldn't even attempt to speak. Whatever she experienced must have terrified her even more than the last time. "Elysia," Lucie began, "please say something… please…"

Even after Lucie's pleas, Elysia still wouldn't talk. She still cowered in Jay's arms, shaking like a leaf in the wind, crying silently. He hated seeing her like that. He felt so powerless to stop whatever was causing her pain. Whatever it was must have been terrible. Seeing her break down in his arms actually scared him so much it hurt physically. He assumed that for everyone else, seeing her like this was strange and unsettling. Maybe even a little depressing since they were at a loss to stop her suffering.

"Shh, Elysia, it's okay," Jay murmured while stroking her hair softly again, assuming that would be comforting to her. She showed no signs of even acknowledging his actions, but he kissed the top of her forehead. That seemed to get her to stop crying, at least. "You're okay."

He couldn't help but love it that she was in his arms, regardless of the situation; she'd relied on him for comfort and safety. It was nice to know she trusted him so much. It was also nice to know she did have a softer side, even though seeing it come through this way wasn't the best way to see it.

Elysia's right arm was wrapped around his waist, and her left arm was on his chest. Her head was gently leaning on his shoulder, and he could feel her breathing steady on his neck. Then, he realized that she was asleep. Jay shifted to try and give her neck a more comfortable position.

"What do we do now?" Lucie asked, standing up with shaky legs.

"We should stay here for the night," Jay said. "We can't let her fly in this condition. She needs to rest. When she wakes up, we'll talk about our next move."

"He's right," Percy agreed.

"It definitely wouldn't be good to try and get her on a pegasus. She would fall off too easily, and I don't want to have to rescue her from a fall," Jason said, looking at his leader with a look of sympathy.

"Yeah, Jason. You could tire out pretty easily doing that," Reyna said, grasping his hand in hers. "I hope Elysia will be alright." Her eyebrows furrowed in her direction.

"We can only hope," Jason murmured.

"She'll be fine," Jay said positively. "She's Elysia Rook. I'm just happy she's going to Elysium after all this is said and done."

"Oh yeah, she's lived two lives already. After this… she's done," Percy muttered.

"That's good for her," Annabeth said, staring at Elysia with a mix of sadness and admiration.

"It is," Lucie said. "She'll deserve it after all this."

"Guys…" Rhea started. "I don't know if she's going to be the same after this. Magic always takes a toll. She could go insane from the things she saw like that…" she finished, her eyebrows now scrunched together in thought. "Hades meant well, but… there are things people aren't meant to see."

No one had really thought about that. It put a damper on their conversation, to say the least. Now, their thoughts were plagued about all the possibilities that this little necklace could end up resulting in.

Jay still held her in his arms. He tried to make it as comfortable as possible for her. "Can someone get her a blanket?" he asked, feeling her ice cold skin.

Lucie laid out her sister's sleeping bag without a word. Jay stood and carried her bridal-style to the sleeping bag. When he got there, Elysia's eyes opened and she stared at him wide-eyed. She struggled out of his grasp quickly. She looked nervous.

"You should be resting," Annabeth said.

"Get out of here, now!" she said frantically.

"What's going on?" Rhea asked looking around her nervously. "Are we under attack?"

"Just get away from here. Please don't ask any questions. You don't have time!" Elysia said, moving away from Jay and everyone else, towards Jinx.

"We're not going to leave you!" Lucie said, grabbing Ely's arm.

"You _have_ to. Get the _hell_ out of here and don't argue!" Elysia said, surprising Lucie with her anger. Elysia didn't get angry easily, and when she did, she was a force to be reckoned with. Nobody wanted to be around when she lost control of her temper. It was actually pretty scary. Not to mention, pretty damn intimidating. She was a daughter of Hades, after all. Her father had a helm that radiated fear and caused heart attacks.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked calmly.

"Just _get out of here_. I have something to take care of _alone._ I don't need anyone's help," she snapped rudely at him. "Just leave."

It was hard for everyone to ignore her attitude. She didn't sound like her normal self. She seemed harsh and unkind. It wasn't like her to get so short tempered and angry, let alone use the language she used. Or the tone of voice she used. It simply wasn't her.

Elysia sighed, looking down to the ground below her feet. "Look, I'm sorry," she said, looking up to them with a softer look. "You're all in danger. Chaos is sending part of her army to capture me. Get going before they get here."

"Just what is it you're planning on doing?" Jay asked, not liking the idea of leaving her behind. It would be wrong to leave her, considering she was their leader and not in the safest physical state.

"Please, just do it," Elysia pleaded. "I beg of you. I promise to meet you in Alaska. From here on, I need to go solo on this. I'm sorry," she finished, sounding more like herself.

"No," Jay said sternly, staring at her dark blue eyes. "We're not leaving you."

"The last thing I need is for my companions to get killed," she said, glancing at each of them for a moment. "The orders Chaos gave them were for them to _kill_ anyone who gets in the way of my capture. That includes all of you, regardless of if you interfere. Please just leave me here," she pleaded again, sounding desperate and scared. "I'm counting on all of you for backup in Alaska. Jay, this quest relies on you alone now. If I were to fail, it's your job to make it so I don't die in vain. I'll be fine for now. Lead them northwest in my place. No matter what happens to me, _you need to go on_."

"Elysia," Jay said with pain in his eyes. How was he supposed to leave her here to face them alone?

"Jay, please go. I can't have your death on my hands, and I can't take her down alone. I tried that and failed once… it won't happen that way this time."

A silent understanding went on between them, much to everyone else's nerves. They didn't like not knowing what was going on. "Fine," Jay said at last.

"_What?" _Lucie and Rhea asked in shock. "How could you agree to that?" Lucie continued.

"Because I have to. She isn't giving us a choice here," Jay said, still only looking at the girl he'd like to call his girlfriend. "Plus, we really don't have a choice. She can't come with us."

"He's right, Lucie," Annabeth agreed. "It's a sacrifice that must be made."

Elysia's eyes dashed to Annabeth's for a moment before they went back to Jay's. It was clear everyone was thinking of the prophecy. _Where the evil stirs, for only sacrifice to save… _"Thank you. Now… can we talk in private?" she asked.

"Of course," Jay said, grabbing her hand. She didn't pull away, much to his relief.

They stayed silent until they were a ways from the group. "Jay-" Elysia began.

Jay cut her off. "What are you going to do now?" he asked with concern.

She looked away from him. "I'm going to turn myself in. I expect your help in Alaska. No matter what happens… no matter what they do to me, it's our job to make sure Chaos dies. The world run by Chaos is not something worth worrying about our lives over. I've dealt with this before, but last time, I had nobody else to count on. I went in alone. I can't do that this time. Take care of them, Jay," Elysia pleaded, breaking down again in his arms.

"Of course," he replied, holding her tightly, unwilling to let her go into such danger.

"Good," she said after pulling away. "I have something to give you."

"What is it?" Jay asked.

"Hold out your hand," Elysia said, grabbing his hand and opening his palm. Out of the shadows, a little black box appeared. "It's from Nyx, actually. Your mom."

"What?" he asked, staring at the box as if it came from space. "No way."

"It is, Jay. It may come in handy," Elysia said, her eyes scouting the trees as if expecting to see the army. "Another thing…" she said before she crashed her lips to his.

He cupped her face before moving one hand to rest on her waist. Their first kiss had been sweet, but this one was passionate and sort of their goodbye for now. Elysia felt herself back up against a tree before she pulled away. "Jay…" she said breathlessly, resting both of her hands on his chest. "I hate to say it, but we don't have much time." She threw her arms around him.

"I know," he said, hugging her again. "You stay alive, alright?"

She smiled as she pulled away, but the smile was almost haunting. "I will if you will. Also… remember our date to see The Hobbit, alright? I won't miss it for anything."

"You think you'll live?" Jay asked, his hope sparking a little.

"This time I have you. I have Lucie. I have the rest of them. I was alone last time," she answered. "It's not like the last time. It _will_ happen differently. I have faith it will."

"I won't forget. We'll see each other soon, and we'll have that date."

"Goodbye," Elysia said.

"Goodbye," Jay replied, his heart pounding as she walked away, towards the shadow of a huge tree. She vanished in the shadows, melting away until nothing remained.

Just like that, she was gone.

Just like that, he was alone to lead his friends through chaos itself.

* * *

><p><em>I know it is a rather sudden change of events... but I had to shake things up. Not only that, but... you know what the necklace is meant for! (Or do you...?) xD. Only thing is... what is in the mysterious black box Elysia gave him from Nyx? Eh, you'll find out next chapter. Okay, I'm curious. Who thinks that Elysia is still the same? (It's only a question. You saw her moodswings.) What do you think caused that sudden change of behavior? I really want to hear your theories about what happened in this chapter, since it's full of mystery... (and some romance, I guess.) I just had to throw the Jaysia moment in there.<em>

_DON'T FORGET THE CHALLENGE! Remember, 200 reviews... I think I'm going to do something special for the 137th reviewer. If it so happens to be that an annonomous reviewer (or a person without Private Messaging) is the 137th, I'll choose the one after that (so the 138th reviewer)._

_I just want you all to know that I love reading your reviews. They inspire me to keep on writing whenever I can._

_Oh, and a special shout out to JadaWatkins! I don't think I've actually stated in one of these ANs that she's the real-life friend of mine who submitted Lucie Rook!_

_Now... click that review button, please! (You know you want this to be a trilogy!)_

_Thanks for reading!_


	16. Part One: Chapter XIII

**Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

Chapter XIII

Jay stood there, motionless and pretty sad. He had no idea where she was going. He just knew that he had to continue on, like she begged him to do. The events that happened in the last hour threw him for a loop. Elysia knew her past lives now, clearly, well enough to predict Chaos' moves. She may have even had a dream about them. Then, he remembered the little black box she had given to him from his mom.

It had a red satin ribbon wrapped around it. What could possibly be inside something like that?

Hesitantly, he pulled the ribbon, careful with it as if it was a bomb. Once the ribbon fell to the ground, he lifted the top of the black box.

Inside was a ring with a blood red stone and black band. A note lay at the bottom of the little box.

_Jay O'Connor,_

_I know you must be wondering why I had your girlfriend, Elysia Rook, give this to you. I have been under a time crunch for reasons unimportant to you. I hope that this ring makes up for me not coming in person to ever meet you. You should know that you're not alone. I'm always watching you and caring for you._

_Another question you may have for me is what the ring does. This ring will give you incredible power during the night, but only then. If you truly wish to storm Chaos' lair, which I would disagree, only go at night, when you are at your far most powerful. This ring is infused with night and shadow._

_I will not deny that it does other things, things that belong with Hades. Your girlfriend's father and I are rather close when it comes to matters of this nature. Both I and Hades support your relationship. Eventually, you'll come to see why that is so important. You two are still early on in your journey. This is merely phase one. What the fates have in store for you I don't know fully. I have a vague sense of impending doom. You best be prepared, son._

_Sincerely,_

_Nox_

Jay's hands were slightly shaky after reading "sense of impending doom." He decided that was acceptable. He didn't want to deal with tragedy and doom. The words "you two are still early on in your adventure," gave him slight hope that Elysia wouldn't die. He wouldn't be able to bear that. Not now. Not when she had so much hope that she'd live. For those words, he was grateful. It gave him more hope. It gave him something to work with.

She wouldn't die. He was sure of that now.

A sigh of relief came from deep within his chest. It felt as if some weight had been lifted and he could finally breathe again. They would do this. They would stop Chaos.

With reinforced determination, he walked back to his group. All he had to do now was get them moving.

Suddenly, Rhea ran straight into him. "We need to get out of here. They… they killed… Jason. We didn't leave fast enough. Where's Elysia?" Rhea asked, beginning to lose her cool.

"Jason's dead?" Jay asked in surprise.

"Yes. The others are fighting off. I…" Then, Jay realized she was holding her side. If they didn't get out of here, they'd be slaughtered. What had Elysia been planning? Where did she go?

He didn't have time to think. "Rhea, stay here and heal yourself with magic. I'll go and help them."

She nodded, clearly in pain. It was wise that she came. She wouldn't be able to perform magic in combat if she was so badly injured. He couldn't believe that Jason was dead. He couldn't bear the thought that… no. Lucie wouldn't die. Elysia would never forgive him if that happened under his watch.

He ran back the way they came. When he came there, he came upon a scene of destruction. Lucie was nearly surrounded, trying her hardest to fight them all off. Jason was lying on the ground, and Reyna was fighting anyone who came into her proximity.

Then, he realized something.

All the other combatants were the missing campers.

And among them was Nico di Angelo.

Suddenly, an Iris Message appeared in the middle of the fight. "Soldiers, I command you to stop fighting and harming Elysia's group of friends." An image of an indescribable woman had a knife to Elysia's throat. "She's surrendered herself to me."

Jay's heart pounded hard against his chest. Elysia was crazy to think this would work. He watched with concern as Chaos squeezed her throat, causing Elysia to glare at her. "It's such a pity that it had to end this way," Chaos said, squeezing harder.

Jay's eyes went wide as he saw her struggling. This wasn't right.

But Chaos made a mistake.

He knew what her room looked like. He could shadow travel there. It came to an ultimatum. Save Elysia or stay with his other friends. _"No matter what happens to me, you need to go on." _He knew what to do but hated it with a fierce passion. He wouldn't be able to save her.

So why had Elysia given him false hope that she'd live?

As Elysia stood with Chaos' grip on her neck, she kicked. Chaos let go, and Elysia narrowed her eyes. "Kill them," Chaos ordered her minions.

Elysia didn't even look scared. "You called for an audience, Chaos. You've got one. Everyone will watch this moment."

Iroida, her sword, melted from the shadows, seemingly out of nowhere. Chaos threw the dagger at Elysia, and it hit her sword with a _clang._ "You used to be harder to fight, Chaos," her voice wasn't quite the same. "Is that all you've got?"

Jay knew it instantly that it was Alexandria talking now. "You killed me and left me to rot. For that, you'll pay," she said, her eyes full of hate. "You killed everyone I had left. If anyone touches anyone left alive today, Chaos, I'll kill you, for good this time. You won't come back from oblivion."

"Oh, dear, are you _sure_ about that?" Chaos asked. She waved her hand, and Nico was there. In surprise, Elysia almost dropped her sword. "He's joined me. Who's to say that you can't? Last time was just a spat between you and me, sister."

"_Sister?" _Jay asked in shock. Chaos hadn't said that part with sarcasm. Was she serious?

"She didn't tell you?" Chaos asked. "She's my sister. I'm merely a representative of the actual Chaos. Do you think she'd go here herself? There are thousands of us. She," Chaos pointed to Elysia with bitter hatred, "is _supposed_ to be one of us."

"Jay, don't listen to her," it was definitely Elysia's voice. "She's the master of manipulation. She feeds off the confusion you feel right now."

He wasn't sure what to believe.

Elysia looked as if something just dawned on her. "That's how you manipulated the campers! You're playing with their minds. Am I the only one immune?" Elysia asked the last part mostly to herself.

"No. They joined me on their own accord. Right, Nico?"

"Elysia, she's not bad. She isn't. I don't want to hurt you. She doesn't want to hurt you, either. Just let us explain," Nico said, grabbing her hand. Jay could see the longing in her eyes to trust her brother. But he also saw the reluctance.

"You're not Nico," she said before hitting him on the head with the hilt of her sword. The force was clearly enough to make him pass out for a few good hours. "Enough with your tricks, Chaos. I'm not going to die willingly. You've already killed Jason. I'm not giving you a free pass."

"I didn't have Jason killed. Is that what you think happened to him, sister dear?" Chaos' smooth voice asked. "He's simply injured. Look."

Reyna, in particular, glanced at him. "Jason!"

"No, Reyna, he's dead. She's manipulating what you all see by influencing the chaos in the area. Don't believe her. I understand that what you see is what you wish were true, but it's not. From here, I see crystal clear that he's still dead. If nothing else, believe me by faith. I haven't lead you astray yet."

"Oh, but you're going to, aren't you?" Chaos asked. "I'm not the real Chaos, after all. It's you. When were you going to tell them?"

Jay's head began to hurt. It was hard for him to grasp what was going on. He just knew he needed to get his severely injured friends out of this mess somehow. But what he thought was Chaos was getting to his head. What if Elysia had been toying with him and everyone all along? Faked the attacks, faked their brief romance, and faked their companionship?

No. She wouldn't. She isn't Chaos.

He had to keep telling himself that.

If only he could think clearly, he could get them out of this mess. Thankfully, nobody was attacking, like Chaos-or whatever her name was- had ordered. He moved away from the IM and towards Reyna, Jason, Percy, and Annabeth.

"Careful," he heard a familiar voice say. It was Zayne's. "Don't make me kill you."

Jay hated this. "I just want to sit with my friends," he acted as if he was terrified. It wasn't that hard.

"Elysia… is what she saying true?" As much as he despised having to pretend to fall to Chaos' trickery, he had to in order to make Chaos arrogant. He knew Elysia's personality well enough to know that she wouldn't feed into her betrayed feelings. She would fight with fire and hopefully not get burned. It was a hard gamble. He wished with all his heart that this would be their final battle, but had a sense that it was far from being over.

"Jay," she said with a hurt expression. In an instant, it changed to the fury he expected to see, but on a much bigger scale. He guessed her past lives must have had bigger tempers than she did or they weren't as good at hiding it.

She attacked Chaos faster than he expected. A sword for Chaos was tossed to her by someone Jay didn't recognize. "You're as angry as you used to be, Alexandria," Chaos laughed as she parried her strike. "You didn't win the last fight a few minutes ago. I should have killed you then. I wouldn't have to deal with your stubbornness against dying."

"I knew you wouldn't harm me. When you know the tricks to Chaos, it's as predictable as any. I know how you work. That's why Hades gave me that necklace. He knew it would be the best way to analyze your false tricks and accusations. You're going to die. You're the same as you used to be, too, you know."

"I guess we're at a draw, then," Chaos said, fighting Elysia and faking it as if she was bored.

"No. I've got something you don't."

That got her attention. "What?" she asked, almost loosing composure.

"Humanity. Death. I have knowledge of the world you could never comprehend. I have three lives who've trained differently, who fought differently. I have three lives who have grown, studied, and fought for a living. I have three lives who've been ready to take you down for two millennia. I failed my job the first time. You can be assured it won't happen again!" Elysia shouted as she swiped Chaos' leg. Ichor spilled from the wound, but it healed immediately.

Jay took his chance. While everyone, even Chaos' minions, were distracted, he reined all his friends in and grabbed their hands. He'd never shadow travelled before, but… he had no other option. Anywhere was better than this forest. He focused hard on feeling all their shadows. After all, that was how a person shadow travelled. He imagined them on some nice, warm, small island he'd seen in the middle of nowhere during a cruise he'd been on.

When he opened his eyes, they were on the tiny island he'd pictured. For the most part, he felt fine. He was definitely shaken up.

Then, he realized he didn't have Rhea. He had everyone else. Lucie, who was crying, Percy, Annabeth, Reyna, and… Jason. But Rhea wasn't with them.

"I'll be back. Rhea's waiting for me in the forest."

With that, he focused on appearing in the trees where he'd said goodbye to Elysia. Thankfully, his ability didn't fail him. He'd never been so thankful. Then, he realized the box was in his pocket. Perhaps it had helped him a bit, even if it wasn't nighttime.

"Rhea," he said when he saw her. She was passed out and blood was spilling from her wound still. "Damn it," he mumbled as he realized he didn't have nectar or ambrosia. "You're going to be okay." He grabbed her and focused back on the island.

Jay managed to get them both there in one piece. The others' expressions were of fear when they saw just how deep her wound was. "She said it wasn't terrible. She just said she was going to get you…" Annabeth mumbled.

"We left all of our nectar and ambrosia with the pegasai. We sent them off so they wouldn't be harmed," Percy explained to Jay, who hadn't been there when they did that.

"Now, I can think clearly," Jay said. "I can't believe I ever thought that of Elysia. Even for that one second."

"I know, me too," Lucie said, wiping tears away. "I… my own sister…"

"It was Chaos messing with your brain. Don't blame yourself," Jay mumbled. "What we need to focus on is getting Rhea help. I think I'll shadow travel to Hades' realm. I know I can trust him. He'll probably have nectar there, too."

"Whoa, Jay… shouldn't you be tired? You've shadow travelled three times already."

"Really?"

"Elysia passed out in the middle of nowhere after three times. She's lucky Chaos didn't get her hands on her then," Percy said while grabbing his arm.

"Wow."

"Also, I have an idea. Don't go yet." He walked over to Rhea and picked her up in the easiest way: bridal style. He took her over to the edge of the water and set her in it. The blood and water mixed and still didn't stop. Jay guessed Percy was praying to his father for help. After losing Jason and Zayne, they couldn't lose Rhea too.

Slowly, her wounds healed. The gash that was deep in her side closed up first. There were small other wounds that began to help themselves. When Percy touched the water, he felt better, too.

After a few hours, everyone just fell asleep. As far as they were concerned, they were on an uninhabited small cay in the middle of the Caribbean. It was easy to fall asleep in the quiet and peace after their headaches they'd received from Chaos.

Except for Jay. All he could think about was if Elysia was alive or not. It wasn't fair. His body was exhausted, but his mind, no matter how tired, just kept thinking at the speed of light. It wouldn't let him relax, no matter how much he wanted it. No matter how much he needed it.

After a few more hours, his mind finally calmed down. He feared what he'd see in his dreams.

_Elysia was running all alone. Something was different about her, though. She was soaked in blood, but it didn't appear to be her own. She was running through trees with a fearful look upon her features. Jay didn't like it that she was covered in blood, her own or not, and running from something he didn't know looking terrified._

_Eventually, she stopped for lack of breath. She leaned up against a tree. "Jay," she said. "Where are you?"_

_A loud hiss came from behind her, and green acid splayed everywhere. Elysia looked so beaten down, Jay's heart lurched._

_Elysia took out her dagger. She must have lost her sword somewhere. A hydra came into view, and Jay could tell Ely held her breath, hoping the hydra wouldn't hear it. Jay knew monsters had terrible vision. She couldn't hold her breath anymore, and the monster immediately spat in her direction. Elysia ducked just in time. The tree behind her fell and took other trees with it. "Fire," she mumbled._

_As the hydra raced after her, she quickly climbed a tree. It was a risky move, but she seemed too exhausted to shadow travel. In the condition she was in, that could probably make her pass out, which wasn't a good thing. He wanted to wake up from the dream to go and help her, but he was exhausted, too. He couldn't just pinch himself._

_Once she got to the top of the tree, she dug around her pockets while the hydra searched for her. She managed to find something she approved of. To Jay, it looked like a match. He vaguely wondered why she'd have a box of matches with her, but determined it unimportant._

_She lit it, and the blaze caught the attention of the hydra. It looked up and spat the green acid towards her. She dropped the match as she moved out of the way. The match lit the lower part of the tree on fire. She frantically jumped to another tree but the branch she grabbed broke. She began to fall, but then, someone dark and hooded caught her from a different tree._

"_Shh," the shrouded person said. He put a hand on Elysia's mouth._

_Ely just nodded. She looked ready to pass out. "It's okay, you can rest. I'll take care of it."_

_The person jumped down and landed lightly on his feet. "Hydra!" he yelled to get it's attention. The boy who'd saved Elysia had matches, too, and he ran from the hydra, starting fires everywhere he went. After he did so, a ring of fire surrounded the hydra, burning and spreading. The person ran through the fire quickly and managed to come out not too badly burnt. His clothes had burnt away in only a few places._

_But it did reveal his face._

_From up above, Elysia gasped. "Nico?" _

* * *

><p><em>Well, there you have it. What do you think of Nico? Good? Bad? In between? I'm curious to know your answers. Answer these three questions...<em>

_1) What do you really think of Nico?_

_2) How do you think Elysia ended up being chased by a hydra?_

_3) What do you think of Jay's new ring and the note from Nox (Nyx)?_

_One last thing. There are only a few more chaps. I've decided that 200 reviews is a bit too much for only having a few updates left in this story. I'm going to also say that I will post the sequel in this same "story" as a "Part II." So, the 200 reviews thing has been moved up to 225, but you have until I've posted the end of the sequel. That make sense? If you have any questions about that, PM me. _

_The 151st review gets a surprise. (I'm doing this to inspire more reviews.) I want to mention that last time, someone kind of "cheated" by annonymously reviewing with 134, 135, & 136. Please don't do that. I only want feedback and comments, not lame reviews like that._

_Anyway, I also want to note that I will only count the review if you've answered the three questions **FULLY** or by leaving a few sentences in a review. Sorry, I know it seems like I'm being a bit picky, its just that I want the reviews to mean something. Also, I won't be updating **UNTIL** there have been at least 151 "justified" reviews._

_That being said... review, please! (And have a nice Mother's Day. Do something nice. :)_

_LOVE YOU ALL!_


	17. Part One: Chapter XIV

**Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

Chapter XIV

Jay woke to Percy shaking his shoulder. "Jay, get up. You've been asleep for nearly thirteen hours."

He sat up with his heart pounding like crazy. "Elysia's alright, but… Nico's with her," he said, running a hand through his overgrown hair. He was used to it being shorter. It hadn't been cut for a few months.

"What?" Lucie asked nervously.

"I'm confused, too," he said before he launched in to the lengthy explanation of his dream vision of Elysia in the forest. Once he was done, he glanced around at his friends' expressions. "So… should I shadow travel and get her? She's probably still in that area."

"It could be dangerous," Annabeth warned. "And we have no guarantee that she's still there."

"Still, we can't leave her behind like that." So this is what it meant to be a leader. You had to make hard decisions. How was Jay supposed to decide something like that? He knew Elysia would never leave anyone behind. He knew Elysia would _want_ to be left behind. Jay's heart ached. It wasn't fair for him to have to decide. If Nico was going to take her back to Chaos… Jay shivered. He knew she'd either be killed on spot or tortured. But there was that big fat _if_ he was ever actually on their side in the first place.

"Jay…" Percy said. "I understand that longing to get her. I feel it too, but it's not the safest emotion right now. We can't get sidetracked by this. Our job is to stop Chaos. We need to get to Alaska."

"I know," Jay said. "She'll be counting on us there. We need to get there as soon as we're ready to move." He stood and stretched, enjoying the sun after their long excursion into the Canadian wilderness. "I'll shadow travel us to Camp Half-Blood first. We need supplies. Chiron will most likely be able to give us them."

"Wait!" a voice yelled.

Jay recognized that voice even before he saw the figure running from the island. Once he saw who it was, he ripped out his dagger and prepared for a fight. "What are you doing here, Aviander?" he spat.

He held his hands up. "I know what I did. I'm so sorry. I don't know how to explain it…" he sounded sincere. The guy even was crying. "Tell me she's alright. Tell me I didn't harm her. She isn't with you…"

He was hysterical. Jay knew he must have had feelings for her somewhere down the line. As much as he hated the guy, he couldn't just leave him feeling like he'd killed her. "She's alive. She's in danger, but alive. It's not your fault." His tone had been harsher than he meant. Aviander wasn't himself when he poisoned her.

Aviander crumbled to the ground. "Thank the gods. You can save her, right?" he asked, looking up at Jay.

Jay wasn't sure what to say. "I don't know. Chaos may have her right now. It may be a suicide mission to save her, but it's one we have to attempt, at least."

"Let me join you. I know where she is. Rhea can access my memories with magic. We could go there and stop Chaos today," he pleaded. "I need revenge for what she caused me to do. She made me think Elysia was going to kill me, that…"

"We've felt her powers," Jay cut off rudely.

His eyes went wide. "You didn't succumb to them?"

"No," Jay answered.

"That's amazing. Nobody's been able to do that."

Jay pondered that. Why was it that his group was able to deny Chaos' madness more than others? Sure, it ate at them, but they didn't give in. Elysia seemed fully immune to it. Was it because they were near her for such a long period of time that they were able to resist her more than others? Does that mean… that the more time they spend away from her, the more Chaos' madness ate at their minds?

But Aviander hadn't been near Ely for a few days. He seemed shaken and angry, but nonetheless, normal.

Could it be that the closer they get to Chaos, the more their minds would be taken in? Was it possible for Chaos to influence her abilities in particular places?

If that was true, they could end up turning on Ely when they reached Chaos' lair. But if Ely was there… her spirit could battle the madness.

"You can join us," Jay decided. Aviander's help would be invaluable. "If you lead us into a trap, we'll kill you and not think twice about it."

He nodded while wiping his tears. "I know I won't fall for it again. The look Ely gave me when I poisoned her… I'll never forgive myself for that moment. I can blame it on Chaos, but… it was my fault for being so weak. I'll never let that happen again."

He seemed true enough. Jay reluctantly offered him a hand to help him up. "By the way, she's better off with you," Aviander mumbled.

This conversation was pretty awkward in front of everyone else. "Now isn't the time, Aviander."

Aviander just nodded again. "Are we going to the camp?"

"Yeah. Percy, Lucie, I want you with me. Everyone else, stay here. Rhea, access him memories, get an image and layout of Chaos' lair. We'll spend the rest of today resting. We need to be at full strength for tomorrow, when we head out. This ends soon."

Lucie gave Reyna a sorrow filled look. Nobody really acknowledged that Jason was dead. It was crazy to think that. "Reyna, I'm sorry," Lucie said before giving her a quick hug. "Jason was brave. At least he didn't fall to Chaos."

She ran to stand next to her brother and Jay. They linked hands, then vanished.

When their vision refocused, they were at an abandoned, lifeless, and depressing version of their beloved Camp Half-Blood. "Gods…" Percy mumbled.

Jay stared at it with a sad look. It hadn't been his camp, but Camp Jupiter probably didn't look much different.

"Percy? Lucie? Jay?" a voice asked from behind.

Percy knew that voice. "Chiron?"

"Yes, child. It is me," Chiron said as he trotted to greet them. "It is good to see you, lads."

Jay knew that they didn't have much time for a reunion. "Chiron, can we have nectar and armor? We've run out. We need to get back quickly."

"Where is Elysia?" Chiron inquired.

"Er… we don't know," Jay answered uncomfortably. "We had to split up. It's a long story. We just really need supplies."

"Very well, come with me," he said, beginning to trot towards the Big House. The rest of them had to jog to keep up.

Once they reached there, the place was creepy. "Is Rachel here?" Percy asked.

"Yes, but… you caught us before we were going to leave. The few of us left were called for safety on Olympus. The gods are frightened, Percy. This is the closest Chaos has ever gotten to defeating them. The last time, Alexandria…"

"She's kind of on our side," Lucie answered. "We haven't lost hope."

"What?" Chiron asked, glancing at Lucie.

"My sister, Elysia… she's the reborn version of Alexandria of Sparta, the last known demigod to defeat Chaos. If you don't mind, could you tell me more about her?"

Chiron's face of surprise dwindled away. "I knew she reminded me of her. Well, Alexandria was a daughter of Hecate and Hades…"

"What?"

"Alexandria was a godling who wished to be human."

"Why?" Jay asked.

"She didn't want eternal life. Hecate was unable to make her fully human. She could only make half her blood that of a mortal. Therefore, we call her a demigod. Alexandria's story was kept secret. The mist helped, but we didn't even talk of it at this camp. After months of her training, she was nearly the best I'd ever trained. Certainly the only female I trained at the time. Then, the Olympians were warned of Chaos arising. Our oracle gave a prophecy of the only female hero. I think I may remember it… _The rebellious female hero shall fight to her death, fighting the Chaos who may reach levels above all, evil enough to steal her friends' breaths, lying to defeat her arch enemy in their first brawl._ I believe that was it."

"And she still went?" Percy asked.

"Yes," Chiron said. "She was a noble warrior. She didn't fear death. All her friends were slaughtered before they could set out on a quest. She went on alone."

"Wow…" Percy muttered. "I thought my prophecy was bad. Why were prophecies so straightforward then?"

"It's because fate was clearer with less people in the world to interfere," Chiron answered.

"I can't believe that was Ely…" Jay trailed off. "Now what she said to me makes sense. It's why she feared our safety above hers. She died last time because she was alone."

"What did she say to you?" Percy asked.

"It's unimportant. Chiron, do you know her second life?" Jay asked.

"It's not easy to tell. But I can tell you this… Elysia isn't a daughter of Hades."

"What?" everyone gasped.

"I found that out not too long ago. Hades claimed her because he knew who she was reborn as. In the prophecy, it speaks of the daughter of _death_. Hades may rule over the Underworld and control Thanatos, but he isn't the embodiment of death like Thanatos. Elysia may end up far more powerful if she remembers all the godly parents she's had. Hecate, Hades, Thanatos… I wonder who she was last time, if what you say is true. If she remembers all those lives, all those powers, she could be deadly against Chaos."

"Elysia is… kind of amazing," Jay said, thinking of how powerful she is. He wasn't too worried about her now.

"Why did Hades claim her?" Lucie asked.

Rachel Dare came running down the stairs as she said, "I'm not sure. It could be to bring her closer with Nico, seeing as he's protective of her." Everyone got uncomfortable at the mention of Nico. "I guess you don't know."

"What?"

"He's pretending to work for Chaos. He's spying, pretty much. He's told me what has happened of the campers. Hi, by the way."

Suddenly, the door swung open. "Chiron," a familliar voice said while carrying someone everyone recognized as Elysia Rook.

Everyone stood there for a moment, shocked at the fact they were staring at Elysia Rook and Nico di Angelo. Elysia looked just as she had in Jay's dream, only something wasn't right. Blood was dripping from her forehead. Jay and Lucie ran to them right away. "What happened to her?"

"Chaos' minions attacked. I managed to get her out of the way after they knocked her out."

Lucie slapped Nico. "Why did you make us think you were on their side?"

"Because... I had to?" Nico replied, shocked at Lucie's behavior.

"Thanks," Jay said, taking her from Nico.

Then, another person walked through the door. It was Zayne. "Nico—" he cut himself off as he saw Jay, Lucie, and Percy. "Hey, guys."

This time, _Jay_ was tempted to slap _him_. "Seriously? You're with Nico?"

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "I kind of was taken by Chaos, but wasn't affected. Nico and I kind of ran into each other. If it's any consolation, we were going to find you guys when Nico went off to help Ely."

"Thank the gods," Jay said, setting Ely down on the couch. Chiron handed him nectar, and he poured a little into Elysia's mouth. She coughed, much like she had when she was poisoned. She opened her eyes and stared at Jay. "Ely," he said with relief.

"Jay," she whispered before she glanced around. "What… where am I?"

"The Big House," Chiron answered.

"Lucie?" Elysia asked, sitting up. "You're alright?"

"We're all fine, except…"

"Jason," Elysia answered. "I'm sorry he died on account of me."

"Ely, I have a question…" Jay mumbled, not wanting her to focus on that.

"What is it?" she asked.

"What does that ring do?"

She pursed her lips and looked down. "I probably shouldn't tell you more than what Nox said in that letter. It's much like my necklace, Jay, but…"

"I have past lives?" he asked in shock.

"No. That's not what it does. I don't know much more than that. Hades wouldn't tell me. All I know is that your ring and my necklace were made to do the same thing. The memories were an added thing Hades added to mine."

"Then what does it do?"

"I'm not quite sure. It doesn't matter in the moment, anyway. How is everyone? I didn't see Rhea, is she-"

"No, she's fine. Aviander's with us, too," Jay answered.

"What?" she asked, her tone slightly angry.

"He's back to normal. Ely, he was torn up over what happened to you."

Her face softened. "Okay. Gods, this was the last thing I expected to happen. I thought for sure I'd have to go on ahead."

"What happened, anyway?" Percy asked, moving closer to sit near Ely.

"I fought my way out of Chaos' lair after she ended the IM. She didn't try to come after me herself. I'm not sure why."

"Hmm…" Jay trailed off.

"Then, when I was running through the woods, a Hydra saw me and started chasing me. Nico interfered and Zayne showed up. After that, minions found us and… I woke up here."

"It's good to know you're safe. You have to be the luckiest person alive," Lucie said.

"Or the unluckiest. I think we've been over this before," Percy joked.

"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Elysia asked.

"Getting supplies," Jay answered.

"Well, by all means, let's get them," Ely said as she stood. "Don't coddle me, I'm fine," she said before they could utter a word against it.

Jay laughed. He knew it would be pointless to argue with her. "Hey, by chance… do you know your godly parent of your second life?"

She looked uncomfortable. "I'm not comepletely sure. I only have a guess, and I'd rather not say."

Jay understood, even if he was curious to find out more. "So… you're a daughter of Hecate and Hades originally?"

She nodded again before she said, "I feel really different now. Having all that knowledge is strange. I feel like I'm two millennia years old. Talk about weird. Sorry for the way I snapped at all of you when I left… that wasn't right of me."

"It's okay," Jay comforted.

"Anyway, Chiron, I'm-"

"Alexandria…" Chiron mumbled.

"It's me…" Elysia replied.

"You're one of the greatest I've ever trained."

"No, I'm not. Not by a long shot. I'm just… selfless, I guess. That doesn't make me anything special, Chiron. I thank you for your training and the compliment, but… there have been heroes far better than me. Percy surpasses me. Jason definitely surpassed me. Just because I've defeated Chaos once doesn't mean I'm such a great hero."

"In my book, it does," Jay said.

Elysia blushed slightly. "You're still better than me. It doesn't matter what you say. I only killed Chaos the first time in revenge for my friends' deaths. Anyway, we need to get going, I assume?"

"Yeah," Jay agreed, and everyone began gathering things together.

…

Rhea put her fingertips on Aviander's temples and began chanting a spell. After a minute, she began to see what Aviander was envisioning. She saw Chaos' abode. She knew exactly where it was. She saw what it looked like surrounding the fortress to get more of a feel of the land.

She let go and severed the connection between their minds. That kind of magic tired her out. "Jeez, I'm tired. When are they going to get back?" Rhea asked as she lay back on the ground.

"I don't know," Reyna mumbled.

"Reyna, we should give him a proper funeral," Annabeth said.

"We'll do it when they get back. I want them to be here for that."

"I understand that," Rhea said, gazing up at the nice, peaceful blue sky. She felt the breeze on her face, the spritz of the ocean water, the soft sand. "It's almost hard to believe that the world might fall to Chaos."

"Tell me about it. It's so calm here," Aviander said. "It was easy to remember what happened when I got here. It was so calming, it eased the chaos in my mind."

"That's good," Annabeth mentioned as she lay down next to Rhea. "It's nice to have another ally. It seems as if the entire world has turned against us. My half siblings... I can't believe that they were affected, too. I guess that just shows how powerful Chaos is. I'm just wondering why it hasn't affected us that much."

"Maybe it's Elysia," Rhea mumbled. "She's Chaos' sworn enemy. We've been with her all this time. It could be that by being near her, we're not prone to the mind games Chaos played. I know that it was when I heard her voice that I was able to think clearer about what was going on."

"That's true. But what makes her so special?" Annabeth mumbled.

"That, I don't know."

Then, in the trees, 6 silhouettes morphed into people. "Look," Reyna said, pointing to the trees. Everyone turned around to look.

There stood Elysia, Lucie, Jay, Percy, Nico, Zayne, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare. "Hey, guys," Elysia said uncomfortably. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

Annabeth ran to hug Ely. "You're so stupid… did you honestly think that would work? You just scared us to death!"

"I had to throw Chaos off her game. I was hoping you all would have gotten away in time, but…" Her eyes drifted to Jason's body. "I failed you. I'm sorry."

"Elysia, you tried," Reyna comforted. "He'll make it to Elysium. I don't begrudge you that."

"Thanks," she replied. "Anyway, I'm guessing you guys want answers…"

"You bet we do," Rhea said, sitting up straight. "Who the hell are you, exactly?"

Elysia laughed, and the sound loosened everyone up. There hadn't been much laughter recently. "Well, I kind of already went over that, but I'm happy to do it again. So, it all started when Hades and Hecate had a fling…" she started. After that, she commenced in telling her autobiography. She told them everything.

By the time she finished, it was already night time. "Guys, we need to eat…" Elysia mumbled. "This thing ends the day after tomorrow. I don't want you all to be malnourished for the fight. Tomorrow will be another resting day. Rachel, is there anything helpful you might be able to tell us?"

"Well, I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. Let's try not to attack them then, okay?" she said while pulling out her sword. "It feels weird that I'm going into battle. At least I can be of some help."

"Thank you all for being such great friends," Elysia said. "Jay, why don't you get out some food?"

He nodded, and then took out some from the bag of supplies that Chiron had given him. They all ate and talked about the things they would do after they saved the world. After that, they went to bed on a happy note.

* * *

><p><em>I know it hasn't reached 151 reviews yet. For that, you have <strong>sonofthetrigod<strong> to thank. He inspired to me to update today. In other news, I want to explain in better detail what I'm going to do. The sequel to this will be put under the same story as this. If you've been paying attention, I have changed the names of the chapters so it says "Part One: Chapter _" I'm going to do this for the sequel, and... drumrolll... I've decided to make this a trilogy anyway! A friend of mine, (**JadaWatkins**) has convinced me that it doesn't matter how many reviews I get. What matters is the story and the readers, regardless of if they review. Now, the 151st review still gets a surprise. xD_

_Now, all you have to do is tell me what you think. (And possibly answer the following questions IF YOU WANT TO.)_

_1) What do you think of Elysia's past(s)?_

_2) Who do you think is her second godly parent?_

_3) Have your ideas changed on who's going to die? If so, who and why?_

_*4) Is there anything you would like me to add in towards the end?*_

_*Okay, recently, when I was going over the ending of this story, I realized there were things I needed to change for the sequel. If there so happens to be anything you want me to add in at the end, I'd like to know. I think it's safe to say you all have pretty good ideas on what happens in the end. If you want your OC to have a "special moment" let me know! I'd gladly put it in.*_

_xFullmetalSoulx_


	18. Part One: Chapter XV

**Part One: Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

XV

That morning was strangely calm. Elysia woke up peacefully and managed to see the sun rise. She wasn't sure what to do. She hadn't expected to be reunited with them before they joined up in Alaska. Maybe this was her chance to just enjoy life a little more. She wasn't positive anymore that she'd live. Regardless of having three lives' experience in her brain, she still had doubts. Elysia wondered what her fate would be.

Also, what Nox told her about Elysia being at the beginning of a journey. Impending doom. It all just baffled her that _this_ was her destiny. Why did it have to be her that the Fates chose to be Chaos' one and only nemesis?

She sighed and looked to the horizon. It was such a shame to be worrying on such a beautiful day. It would have been nice to not worry about anything once a while.

A small laugh escaped her lips. It had roughly been a full week since she came to Camp Half-Blood, and she'd done so much, been through so much, learned so much. If this wasn't the craziest week of her life, she wasn't sure what was.

She remembered the week she'd first been human. She remembered how weird it was to get cut and the wound not heal. She remembered her bedroom on Olympus. Elysia was feeling nostalgic over something that happened two millennia ago.

Then her mind drifted to Jay, who was sleeping by her peacefully. As much as it pained her, she was glad Jay wasn't in Jason's place. She wanted Jay to keep on living with every fiber of her being. It was hard for her to describe her feelings for him. She'd never really felt this way in any of her lives. She died too early in all of them to ever grow close to a guy.

But gazing upon Jay, she remembered the lie she told him about her second godly parent. She had not lied when she told them that she did not want to talk about it. The lie was in the words "I'm not completely sure." How Elysia loathed those words. She longed for them to be true. She didn't want to face the fact she'd lied.

But that godly parent wasn't one to be proud of. And that part of her was going to get her killed. The chaos was already beginning to eat at her mind. She could only hope and pray to the gods that she would be able to last until the evening. They would have to attack then. They had no other option, and Elysia knew she was already on borrowed time.

It took every ounce of her being not to just vanish and go alone. Eventually, all the knowledge she has would kill her. Nobody was meant to see all their past lives. She could feel them clashing against herself. It would only be a matter of time before the chaos inside her swallowed her sanity.

In that moment, she looked down at Jay again. She had to tell him the truth. It was only fair for him to know. Along with all of her other companions. If she didn't warn them before they left out into the battle, she could end up harming them.

Everyone thought that her knowledge would be what helped her stop Chaos. Nobody knew it would be her downfall. Her sacrifice hadn't been leaving them or losing Jason. No, the sacrifice for the power to bring back all the missing was simple and easy: her sanity, her humanity.

Telling everyone about her past life scared her to the core. She had all her friends. All of them were there, sleeping by her side, ready to follow her through anything. If anything, they were the ones who were strong. It almost made Elysia cry to know that any one of them might not come back. Jason had already been lost. Who else would be? She cringed at the idea of anyone not coming back, even Aviander.

Elysia continued to think her miserable thoughts until Jay stirred next to her. "Ely?" he mumbled, still half asleep.

She bent down and gently pressed her lips to hiss. His bright blue eyes opened slowly to meet shadowy blue ones. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he said as he sat up. He took her hand in his.

She stared at their hands. "I haven't been entirely honest with you. I know exactly who my second immortal parent is, Jay. I wasn't ready to say it back at Camp Half-Blood. I was once a girl named Zinaida Lenochka back when the gods lived in England. I lived with a family whom I thought was my own until I reached the age of seventeen. My father, Lord Vladimir Lenochka, told me that my mother wasn't Genevieve, like I had been told my entire life. My brothers Sergei, Kirill, and Denis weren't actually my brothers. He told me that I was a daughter of someone he never knew the name of. He told me she was a beautiful woman. He mentioned that she would only give her name as Shoca. Jay, it's… Shoca is an anagram of Chaos."

Jay squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I figured when you wouldn't say anything."

A single tear fell from her eyes. "Jay… this means that I won't be able to fight my nature any longer. I need you to understand that I'm on borrowed time. Whether it be by Chaos' hand or not, I'm going to die within a few days. I can feel the knowledge exhausting my mind. Soon enough, I'll either fall to chaos or my body will give out. If it's the first, I want it to be by your hands that I die. I know it's asking a lot, maybe even too much, but I want to die in peace. Jay, I'm already losing it…"

He wrapped his arms around her and she took the gesture with a desperate need. "Elysia, I'll follow you through hell if you asked me to. I'd do that for you. Knowing that I'd bring you peace in a world of chaos is something that would bring me comfort." He kissed the top of her head.

She buried her head in his shoulder. "I hate asking that of you. I wish I could have met you when all this wasn't going on. You know, this is the first time I'd ever felt close to a guy. In all my past lives, I'd been killed before I ever had the chance for a single boyfriend. I'm hopeless, aren't I?" she joked miserably.

"You're not hopeless. Elysia, I…" he paused. "I love you."

Elysia let another tear escape. "Jay, I love you, too. I'm sorry we'll never get to properly be boyfriend and girlfriend. I think I'm going to have to miss our date," she mumbled glumly.

He just rubbed reassuring circles on her forearm. He would miss this. He would miss feeling her soft hair below his cheek, her arms around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder. Besides things like that, he would miss her laugh, her spirit, her personality. It was such a shame that Chaos had to get in the way. It was such a shame that their lives weren't peaceful. They would never get a happy ending.

That's what separated story from life. In stories, you could always expect a happy ending. With real life, you never knew what to expect. Most people say happy endings don't exist in real life. They're wrong. The happiness does exist, but you could never predict how your life would turn out.

Jay and Elysia were both thinking along those lines when others began to wake up. Jay and Elysia didn't bother breaking apart. It wasn't as if their friends didn't know they were together. They would understand. But Elysia once again felt fear creep up into her heart. Chaos was her own mother at one point. The thought made its way to her stomach. She felt sick. She was confused that Chaos had called her a sister and what she said about there being thousands of Chaos'. Could that possibly be true?

Elysia hated the idea. The possibility of it never ending was simply too much for her aching head to comprehend. If it was true… well, she tried not to think that way. As much as she knew it was highly unlikely for her to reach a happy ending, she wanted it anyway. Just one life to live longer than her teenage years. That was the one thing she wished for, and it was among a long list of things she couldn't get.

She sighed and looked to the calm water. There was no rush to tell the rest of her friends at that moment. If she could just enjoy peace a bit longer, she'd be happy.

Then a sharp pain came from the back of her head. "Chaos is influencing the area," Elysia said, completely startled. The intensity of the pain caused her to hold her forehead. She couldn't focus on anything they were saying after her warning. She was in too much agony to know what was going on to her and the people around her.

:-:-:-:

Elysia must have blacked out entirely from the pain because when she opened her eyes, the sun sunk low into the sky, preparing to vanish for a few hours. She couldn't believe that she'd passed out for almost the whole day. Her head still hurt, but not nearly as bad as it was prior to her black out. She attempted to sit up, but found it difficult. Her eyes were still heavy. Her entire body felt like lead, heavy and slow.

As she became more aware of her senses, she realized that none of her friends were near her. Her heartbeat picked up its pace as she finally managed to sit straight up.

Now determined, she stood and walked around frantically. "Anyone here?" she asked, her panic vanishing. She had no idea why. The whole island was deserted. Not a soul was anywhere to be seen. Something caused her to look down. She wasn't sure what, but… then she realized why. She was soaked in blood again, but it appeared to be her own.

Her eyes ached again. Involuntarily, she crumpled to her knees and spat up tons of her blood. "Why is this happening?" she wondered, her head's pounding increasing by the second. When she tried to stand, she fell, landing on her stomach, causing her to spit up more rich red liquid.

A hand appeared in front of her. "Elysia."

"Go away," she mumbled, recognizing it as Aviander.

The hand grabbed her shoulder with brute force. The face she stared into wasn't Aviander's. It was the face of her mother, the mother she shared with Lucie. She threw her to the ground and pulled out a dagger. She aimed it, and it soared through the air and hit right where her heart was.

:-:-:-:

Elysia awoke with a fright.

"Ely?" she heard Jay's comforting voice ask.

She just sat up with an indifferent look upon her face. It had only been a dream. That was the good news. The bad news was, the sun was just as low, if not lower, than it had been in her dream. "Crap," she mumbled. "How long was I out?"

"The whole day," Jay responded. "How're you feeling?"

His concern made her heart beat stutter. He was so sweet. "That doesn't matter," she responded sadly. "We need to prepare for later tonight. Where are we, anyway?" she mumbled, just now taking in her surroundings.

"We're in a cave not too far from our… destination. Are you cold?" Jay asked, still worried about her. His eyebrows scrunched just a little bit closer when he was worried.

"I am, a little. So… how much does the group know?"

Elysia pulled back the blanket she was under, and Jay sat next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and rested his cheek on her head. "Nothing. I figured that you would want to tell them. They've been waiting patiently. They also gave us some privacy. It's up to you when you want to move out."

She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the moment. It was one of the last she'd have, so it felt justified to take a few minutes of more peace. "What happened to the others? Did Chaos get to them…?"

"No, your warning gave us enough time to escape before she could get to us. What happened?"

"I'm sensitive to Chaos' powers. I have no idea why it made me blackout that time…"

"Could it be that she was directing it at you?" Jay suggested.

Elysia hadn't thought of that. "If she does that again… that could end up being really, really bad…"

"I'll be there for you," he replied.

"Good," Elysia said, strangely feeling fine. She didn't feel as if things were going to end that night. She didn't particularly have any feeling. No fear, no sadness, no grief. She was just… there.

Maybe it was shock that blocked her emotions. Maybe it was something else that numbed her, but… whatever it was, she was ready.

"Elysia, I still have hope that you'll live," he mentioned.

She just turned and kissed him softly. "That's something I love about you. Gods, I feel… I feel like I'm Juliet…"

"Well, I definitely feel like Romeo," he joked.

Elysia laughed. "Let's hope our story has a happier ending than theirs did, okay?"

"Yeah," Jay agreed.

"We should probably get going, huh? It's nearly sundown," Elysia whispered.

"Yeah, we probably should. Elysia… promise me you won't let yourself die," he said, his voice full of emotion.

Elysia's eyes began to sting a little. She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "Jay, I promise I will fight it, but I can't promise I won't let myself die. If it means saving you, Lucie, Nico, Percy, or anybody, I… I'll make that sacrifice. I have to. It's not in my nature to allow others to get killed, but rest safely assured… it's not in my nature to die without a fight, either."

Jay understood what she meant. "It's good enough for me," he promised.

"Good. Now, let's go and tell them my plan."

"You have a plan?" Jay asked. He hadn't been told she had a strategic plan.

Ely nodded and stood. She held her hand out, and he gladly took it. They walked out of the cave, hand in hand. When they reached where their friends stood, Elysia took a shaky breath. "Everyone, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"Are you alright?" Lucie asked with a worried frown.

"Elysia is dying," Jay said for her.

"What?" Percy asked.

Instead of either Jay or Elysia answering, Nico did. "Her life force is fading. I can see it clearly. But… there's something else, too. Something you're not saying to any of us except Jay."

Elysia nodded. "I told Jay earlier before my blackout. Do you remember when Chaos was messing with your heads?" She watched as her friends nodded. She took a big breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Well, in my second life, I was a girl named Zinaida Lenochka, when the gods were in England. I was raised as a daughter of Genevieve and Vladimir, sister of Sergei, Kirill, and Denis. When I turned seventeen, my father told me that I wasn't a daughter of Genevieve. I was a daughter of a woman who would only give her name as Shoca. Shoca… it's an anagram of Chaos. Needless to say, after I found that out… well… it wasn't pretty. It eventually lead to my death. It will do so again now, only… in tenfold."

"Why?" Lucie asked, discouraged.

"Because having Alexandria, Zinaida, and Elysia's memories in my head is driving me crazy. The memories are wearing my mind down. I'm prone to chaos and madness. Chaos knows that. Eventually, something will happen. I know that I will die soon, though it may not be by Chaos' hand. You all need to understand that… I may need to be killed if my mind confuses me, or Chaos gains control of my actions. You'll be able to tell."

Silence swallowed everyone. It was a terrible bombshell to drop right before going into combat. _Oh, hey guys. Just thought you should know that our greatest enemy can control me!_ Elysia felt awful that she had little to no control over her mind when Chaos was too close. She could feel Chaos' abilities like waves in an ocean already. How would it be when the waves were bigger? Elysia internally cringed at the thought. The gods hadn't been planning on that when they gave her memories back. Why would Hades include the ones that were risky?

She couldn't go around second guessing things. She had to pay her attention to the problem at hand. The sun was almost gone. There was roughly 20 minutes of sunlight left. After that, they would have a few hours to come up with an elaborate plan.

"Elysia," Reyna's voice surprised her. "The only thing I ask is that we take a little bit of time to properly bury Jason. Dragging his body around needs to stop."

She didn't have to think twice about it, so she nodded and gave a sad smile. "We can do that."

Rhea used magic to create a hole big enough for Jason. Lucie and Elysia gathered any flowers they could find. Reyna washed the blood off of his wounds and cleaned him up a bit, regardless of him being buried later. Everyone else just pitched in with minor things and thought of what they were going to say. Nico, however, wanted to see if he could contact Jason's spirit to see if he learned anything while being in the Underworld, but Reyna didn't want Jason to be present at his own funeral, so they decided to contact him later.

It really only took them about ten minutes to put it together. Before they were going to cover Jason, they were all going to say something.

Reyna started, of course. "I'm just glad he managed to die himself, and not under the influence or control of Chaos. I'm happy he was the hero I'd loved for a long time. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm going to miss him, but he isn't suffering anymore. I can relax knowing that."

Her words stung at Elysia. That first sentence made her realize… she could end up dying under Chaos' control. As if Elysia hadn't already felt bad about possibly being influenced by her, she had to deal with the idea she might not be in control when she dies.

Everyone subconsciously glanced at Ely to go next, but she didn't want to. She needed a moment, so she nudged her sister to go.

Lucie stepped forward to Jason's grave. "I'm happy he was a friend I got to know. I'm just sorry to see that he had no way of knowing that…" she took a breath, "that he wasn't going to come back."

Hers was brief but very sweet. Jay stepped forward next. "Jason was a great person. He was a great hero. Nobody could ever forget the things he's done for his friends and our world. He died a great hero, and a great person."

Again, his words stung Elysia in a way that was more painful than a sword to the heart, and trust me, she would know. She'd felt that pain before. This, this pain… it was something different.

Percy walked up front next. "Jason was a great friend of mine, and I'm sad to have out lived him. I figured he would be one of those old men in New Rome, but… I guessed wrong. Jason was always an inspiration. He was great at leading people. He was great at understanding people."

Then, it was Annabeth's turn. "Jason and I went aboard the Argo II together. When we first met, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't like him or trust him in any way. I wish I'd been able to apologize for that before he died. He was an honorable companion both horrendous quests we did together."

Rhea stepped forward after her. "I'm not good at speaking about those who died, but I'll give it a try. Jason was a great person, and I wish I knew more about him. When he was stabbed, I wanted nothing more than to help him, but he told me to help others. That makes him a noble hero in my book."

Zayne walked up. "I, like Rhea, didn't know Jason all that well. From what I did see of him, he was a strong warrior, definitely a strong leader. I'm glad to have fought alongside him, even for such a short time."

It was down to just Elysia and Nico, both of whom didn't want to speak. Nico could sense his sister's hesitation, so he went next. "Jason was a good guy that I didn't know very well. He did help rescue me during the war with the giants (A/N: just a guess.) and I still owe him that thank you."

Now, everyone's eyes rested on Elysia. She hadn't thought much of what she'd say. She took a big breath to begin. "Jason was a far better leader than I ever was. I could tell just by looking at him when I first met him. He had a feeling of authority. He was strong, disciplined, and brave. I could tell he'd do anything to protect his friends. On top of all that, he didn't fall to Chaos. For that, I believe he's thankful. I wish him the best in the Underworld."

After a moment of silence, Rhea took out her wand and the dirt covered Jason in an instant. A large rock changed shape into a tombstone, and in elegant cursive writing, the information was placed. As the last letter of the tombstone was written, the last shred of sun vanished behind the trees.

It was time to let the war begin.

* * *

><p><em>Only a handful of people guessed right about Elysia's second godly parent. I figured it would be kind of obvious, but... I'm glad I managed to surprise some of you! Also, those who guessed Nyx... why would I do that? It would make Jaysia moments pretty gross if they're even somewhat considered brother and sister! I would never do that in a million years. That would be... awkward... and I think everyone here likes Jaysia. I'd hate to break them up for something like that.<em>

_(Comepletely out of context, I have something to say. I won't be able to update for a while, unless I fit an update again tonight. I'm going on a mini vacation into Canada. xD)_

_Anywho, can you answer these questions for me? (I guess this is a question, too...)_

_1. What do you think of Jay and Elysia's confession of love?_

_2. What do you think of Elysia's past lives now? (Good or bad?)_

_3. Do you think she'll die now that she's convinced (again) that she will?_

_3. What did you think of this depressing chapter?_

_Oh, one quick thing. I want to note that Chaos is genderless, but Elysia depicts Chaos as a female, and since her companions have constantly been hearing Elysia say "her," they've viewed Chaos as female, too, although others may see Chaos as male. Make sense? _

_Another thing, I compared Jay and Elysia to Romeo and Juliet because I currently am rereading it. Also, their timeline moved fast, and so is Jaysia's. Just so you know. :)_

_Now please review!_

_xFullmetalSoulx_


	19. Part One: Chapter XVI

**Part One: Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

Chapter XVI

There they all were, hidden from the view of their enemies. Elysia whispered the last line of her plan to her friends. They all nodded. All of them gripped their weapons with a feeling of urgency to get this over with. Clearly, nobody was satisfied with Elysia's plan. All of them figured it was terribly dangerous. It was also pretty risky. It could result in getting Ely killed on spot, but she was determined to follow through with the plan she had.

Elysia's heart and body felt like lead. This was it. This was the last day she'd have a beating heart. That heart pounded hard, as if trying to force all the beats it should have had into her final hour. An anxious sigh escaped her lips. "This is it. This is my goodbye," she paused as her eyes glanced into each of her friends'. "No matter what happens today, know that I am honored to be your leader. Also know that I was lucky to be your friend. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with to this day."

"Quit talking like this is goodbye," Jay said with slight humor. "I refuse to say goodbye when I'm certain we'll see you again."

This brought a short lived smile to Elysia's face. She nodded as she stood from her hiding spot. "I can't think like that. If I didn't say goodbye and this was the last time I saw you…" she trailed off, unable to say more. "If you won't say it, I will. Goodbye everyone."

With that, she ran off to Chaos' fortress in the rough Alaskan terrain.

Elysia's heart didn't seem to be pounding in fear anymore. She was almost what someone could call excited. Maybe she would beat Chaos once and for all. The adrenalin in her veins seemed to even boost her confidence. "CHAOS!" she shouted as she reached a stop.

Guards, who were people she recognized from Camp Half-Blood, sounded some alarm. Elysia, at least thirty feet from them, pulled out her bow. She knocked an arrow in a few seconds and shot before they could move. The arrow she shot nailed the female guard in the knee. She crumbled to the ground, and Ely aimed at the other guard's shoulder. It was a risky move. She didn't want to kill anyone under Chaos' madness. The arrow missed the guy's shoulder and hit mid arm.

"You dare shoot your friends?" a familiar voice asked.

"They aren't my friends when you're in control of them. I would be saving their souls from being damned when they get to my father's realm. They'll get a pardon for this when you're dead, Chaos. You, however, will go to Tartarus, and hopefully never come back."

She glanced down at Elysia and burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh, Alexandria, you haven't changed!"

"It's Elysia, the goddess of Elysium!" she spat back. She realized then that she never told her friends that her name had actually always been Elysia. It was the name Hecate and Hades bestowed her as a newborn godling. Her sphere of control was Elysium, hence her name.

"You will always be Alexandria to me, mortal."

"What if I told you I wasn't mortal?" It was a complete lie, but hey, she needed to distract her.

Chaos narrowed her eyes, something Elysia could see in pure darkness with watery light from the moon. "You're not?"

"I'm not," she mumbled. "Now, are you going to come down here and fight me like we did back in the old days or have you grown to be a coward?"

"Never, Alexandria. I've never had anything to fear."

"Then come down and fight me for your honor. If you decline, I choose to see you as a coward rather than an opponent," Elysia said, her nails digging into her palm.

"What if I don't even consider you an opponent?"

"Then I consider you a coward and a liar."

Chaos couldn't say no to that. Elysia had already beaten her once. To call Elysia someone under an opponent would be laughable, to say the least, since Chaos would be put below Elysia. A crowd of her brainwashed companions had already begun looking at her expectantly, as if thinking, _She's only a human! Kill her! We'll watch._

"Fine, I shall fight you," Chaos replied exasperatedly, as if she was annoyed.

"I'll be waiting." Elysia just paced as she waited for Chaos to leave her safety zone. Once she did, Ely walked up to her and stared her in the face before saying, "You know the rules of a traditional battle of champions. No interference of outside forces."

"Do you swear upon the river Styx?"

"Do you?" Elysia narrowed her eyes to meet Chaos'.

"I asked you first, Spartan."

"I swear on the river Styx that I won't have my friends interfere."

A rumbling was audible, even though they were in Alaska.

Chaos seemed to hesitate, but said, "I swear on the river Styx that I won't have my followers interfere unless yours do." It seemed as if the rumble echoed itself.

"It is a solemn oath," Elysia replied. "Now, let's end this the way we began this."

Slowly, Elysia twisted her ring into Iroida. Chaos drew her sword from a sheath. They held their swords to cross and create an X. "You're going to die today, Chaos."

"Oh, really?" she asked as Ely felt a rise in the chaos around her. "We'll see who dies today."

With that, their swords parted and they fought almost in step with how Elysia remembered their first fight. Because of this, she knew what move Chaos was bound to make. Ely ducked a swipe and attempted to trip Chaos, but unfortunately, she regained balance. Chaos had a wild look in her eyes as she prepared to stab, but missed and cut her armor a bit on the side instead. Their fight went back and forth, neither winning, neither losing.

Then, Elysia tried something new. She twisted Iroida back to her ring and shadow travelled behind Chaos. In momentary shock, Ely managed to get the sword from Chaos, but not without suffering a blow to the head from Chaos' elbow. "Damn you!" Chaos yelled in rage and the levels of chaos and madness rose tenfold. It almost caused her to crumble to the ground, but Ely fought it.

With the sword, she stabbed Chaos' shoulder, missing by inches for the heart. Golden ichor poured everywhere. Then, Chaos vanished. In an instant, Ely felt arms around her neck, cutting off her air. Involuntarily, she dropped the sword. With all her strength, Elysia bent over, knocking Chaos off her and landing on the ground. Chaos picked up the sword and barely missed Elysia.

Breathing hard with an insane amount of adrenalin in her body, Elysia fell to the ground and rolled to stand quickly. Before Chaos could stand, Elysia kicked her hard in the face. Still, she did not lose the sword. She kicked again, but Chaos grabbed her leg and nearly sliced it in half. She managed to pull away, but in the process, fell backwards. The wind was knocked out of her for a moment, but she scrambled away from Chaos.

Elysia managed to stand before her nemesis swung at her. Ely, out of options, tried a stupid, stupid move. She sidestepped and smacked the blade with her bare hand. If she had timed it wrong, her arm would have ended up sliced in two. Thankfully, the sword fell out of Chaos' hands and clattered to the ground. In one quick motion, Elysia had the sword again in her hands. Chaos disappeared and tried to do the same as before, but Ely turned around just in time to get her in the stomach again.

"The only reason you haven't lost this fight is because your body heals," she spat in Chaos' face.

"You've gotten lucky."

"Luck has nothing to do with this fight!"

Elysia took Chaos' sword and struck down, but Chaos did something she didn't expect. A dagger fell from her sleeve and plunged into Elysia's stomach. Blood spilled down her lower abdomen, and she could feel it soaking down her clothing.

Still, Elysia managed to get a pretty good hit in. Chaos' shoulder was cut so badly ichor, the golden blood of the gods, was everywhere. Chaos and Elysia both had splotches of each other's blood on their armor.

When Chaos' blood mixed with Elysia's, though, something weird happened. All her blood turned gold, her wound healed. Elysia gasped, and Chaos' eyes stared at the wound. "You weren't lying when you said you were immortal."

Elysia was so distracted that Chaos almost nailed a swipe to the neck. Instead, she ducked and snapped out of her confusion and shock. This time, Chaos came with more fury in her strike. Elysia's stomach was cut once again, but the blood was back to normal. It was so strange what had happened moments ago. Due to the pain, Elysia felt lightheaded. She had to think quickly. If when their blood mixes, hers becomes ichor. What caused that?

She couldn't process it at the moment. Elysia twisted her ring and parried Chaos' next strike towards her chest. Ely counter attacked by doing a disarming maneuver she'd been taught as Zinaida. Chaos' sword clattered to the ground once yet again. This time, Ely stepped on it before Chaos could make a grab. Ely brought Iroida down to Chaos' back.

Ichor poured down her back. As Chaos lay distracted for a moment, Ely wiped the blood from her sword and touched her stomach. The wound healed in an instant, once yet again.

"DAMN THIS!" Chaos screeched. "MINIONS, I ORDER YOU TO KILL ELYSIA!"

Chaos tackled Elysia and pinned her to the ground.

Jay knew it was time to move in when Chaos screamed for help from the missing campers. Elysia hadn't given the cue, but he figured now would be better than any other time. He could see she was in a bad spot.

With the concealment spell Rhea used, they simultaneously knocked out their misguided friends from camp. Jay ran to Elysia, and before Chaos could do anything, Jay pulled her back.

"You've broken your oath," Chaos spat, sitting up.

"I vowed that I wouldn't have my friends interfere. I had no control over what they would do. I never told them to come in for me. They did that on their own. You're the one who's broken your oath," Elysia yelled as she stabbed Chaos in the left shoulder.

"Damn you, Alexandria. I'll send you to hell!"

"You can't."

"Oh, you don't know how ignorant you are. I'm not going to kill you, no. Not anymore. I'll do something far worse to you, my dear." With that, Chaos pulled the sword out and knocked Elysia back.

"What the Hades are you babbling about?"

"Just the price you're going to have to pay to be the hero."

They began their sword fight back and forth. It still seemed they would end in a draw, though neither would let it stop at that.

Rhea was getting tired of using her spells. She'd exerted her forces and been doing magic too often recently. It made her realize she shouldn't rely fully on her magical capabilities her mother had given her. And now, some child of Trivia she knew was undoing her spell and she wouldn't be able to fight it well.

Rhea attempted to counteract her, but her abilities were getting weaker from her abuse of magic. She could feel it draining her, both physically and mentally.

The spell came undone. Their enemies could see them. She failed. Due to her over exertion, she fell to the ground in fatigue. "Rhea?" Zayne asked when she fell.

He ran to her to check on her. A Roman camper Zayne didn't know was about to stab him when he heard Elysia yell, "Campers! Look at who you're attacking. Chaos may be controlling you, but fight it! Open your eyes!"

The camper hesitated. He seemed unsure, but his attack was easy to block.

Jay was having a hard time fending off people from getting to Chaos or Elysia. Not to mention, their fight was going all over the place. He also didn't want to harm any of the people. "Stop! Look at what you're doing," Jay shouted as he knocked out a six year old he believed was a daughter of Hades he may have seen once on a visit to Camp Half Blood forever ago. Lauren, he thought her name was. He felt terrible for doing that to her. She was only under Chaos' control.

From somewhere above, an arrow was shot. He only managed to move out of the way because a camper from Chaos' side knocked him to safety. He realized it was a friend of his, Nicky Parker. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked him.

"Uh… helping my friends."

"You're going to need all the help you can get." They both stood, and Jay was glad to have someone help. Together, they fought knocked out others. "Everyone, please!" Nicky pleaded to her friends. "Snap the Mars out if it!"

To their advantage, a few others did. Jay didn't catch many names, but he heard a few: Odette, Ajax, Sabrina. There were others, but their names weren't said.

Eventually, their side was 2:5. It was getting bigger. Just when Jay thought they would have a chance, he caught a glimpse of Elysia's fight. Chaos stood with her hand on Ely's head. Both were disarmed, but whatever Chaos was doing, Jay had to stop it. Elysia's face was a mask of pain. She fell to the ground and didn't look conscious. Jay ran and before even picked up any weapon, he stabbed her back.

"Why you!" Chaos whipped around, taking the sword with her, and along with that, Jay. He fell to the ground. "So you're the one Alexandria cares so much for, eh?"

A cough told Jay that Ely was alive. "NO! Dammit, you leave him out of this, Chaos!"

Just as Jay was about to receive a final blow from Chaos, Elysia stopped the blade with her bare hand. She had to have been in agony after doing that. Her blood was just normal red, too, which meant it wasn't healing.

"Elysia, forget about me. Your job is to kill her, not _be_ killed by her."

"NO! Nobody will die if I can help it!" With that, she punched Chaos with her free arm and tackled her with her hands around her throat. Ely put her hand in ichor, and the wound healed.

Chaos didn't need any air to breathe. It wasn't an effective way to kill her. Chaos managed to roll on top and held a dagger to her throat. Elysia kicked her chest and twisted Iroida back into her sword. "Jay, get the hell away from this fight. Help the others!"

He didn't want to. He had a terrible feeling about this, but Jay was a distraction Elysia couldn't afford. Jay knew that. His eyes connected to hers for a simple moment. He could see the desperate fear she had that he would get hurt. As much as he felt the same, this was her fight. It was her nemesis. There really was no choice to be made. He regretfully ran away from that fight with his heart aching.

Percy was holding off a group with Annabeth by his side. It wasn't hard to knock them out. After all, they had done that in the Titan War, too. It wasn't that different from that time. Though it was hard seeing their friends fighting against them with such anger and hatred, they sucked it up. Their part of holding back Chaos' minions was going just fine. They were skilled at what they were doing. They had enough practice with most of the people they were fighting from training at camp. It was easy to fight them back.

Zayne had to run away to protect Rhea. He needed to get her to safety. He hid her up in a tree, far from anyone. He was happy he managed to keep her from getting harmed. Once he saw that she was perfectly safe up there, he ran back to join the fight. It was about half Chaos, half their side. That was excluding those who were passed out.

Aviander and Reyna ended up teaming together. They fought off their friends, and tried to convince others that they weren't themselves and that Chaos was controlling them. They were seriously overwhelmed until Nico began to help. They ended up having more passed out people than those on their side.

An arc surrounded the fight. The back half of the arc didn't really need to be covered. It was just a cliff. It scared everyone a bit to think that Elysia and Chaos were getting a bit close to it, but they figured they weren't going to fall. Chaos' minions, who were pressing the arc closer to the cliff, didn't seem to care. And some of those who were knocked out were waking up. They still were on Chaos' side.

Eventually, it was a tight ring. Jay was distracted. He couldn't focus on any fight but Elysia's. Chaos was wearing her down, he could see it. Mentally, he went through the prophecy.

_The daughter of death shall lead the group of nine._

That was Elysia, daughter of Thanatos, who lead eight people, and in a way, herself.

_Up north and to the west, enclosed in endless pine. _

That was Alaska, where all the pine trees made you feel enclosed.

_Where the evil stirs, for only sacrifice to save._

Evil always seemed to stir in Alaska. First the giants, then this. But what was the sacrifice? What would be the price of victory today?

_To bring those back from beyond the grave._

It was possible that Chaos made them immortal in some way. They wouldn't die, therefor, they were beyond their graves.

_And despair without a hero's hand._

He really, really hoped Jason was the hero. They did despair for a while without him.

_To be lost in unfamiliar land._

If they were lost without the hero, it wouldn't be Jason. They would be lost without Elysia, whether she classified herself as a hero or not.

At that moment, Jay's heart pounded. Elysia and Chaos were only feet from the cliff edge. He watched with intent eyes. Elysia was closest to the edge. Her eyes glanced at it with a moment of fear. Chaos pushed her further back. She fought with only a foot between her and the edge, easily one push and she'd be gone. No way could she survive the fall that was most likely behind her.

Chaos nearly slashed Elysia's ankles, but she managed to sidestep just in time. Unfortunately, that put her even closer to the edge of the cliff.

"Face it, Spartan. I've won this fight." With that, she pushed Elysia with brute strength.

Luckily, she tackled Chaos, her body rigid with fear. That was close. Too close. "Die, Chaos." Elysia was about to plunge Iroida into her heart, but she rolled over last minute. Elysia dangled from the cliff, her arms around Chaos' neck. Her eyes connected to Jay's for a second. In that short second, Jay could see all her pain, all her sadness. He could see all the love she had for him. He imagined his looked the same, but her eyes said another thing. _I'm so sorry. _Jay ran to help her, but he was moving in slow motion.

His legs couldn't move fast enough. It was like everything was a blurry slow motion picture. He watched Elysia struggle without being able to reach her.

With whatever strength Elysia had left, she kicked off the wall, dragging Chaos with her.

The slow motion spell broke. "ELYSIA!" Jay screamed.

His scream caught the attention of everyone there. Everyone stopped fighting. Everyone ran over to see what had happened. Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Aviander, Zayne, Reyna, and Lucie reached there first. Jay had no idea where Rhea was.

They watched them free fall. The cliff went down very, very, far. In a moment, Elysia stabbed Chaos' heart. It was as if her sword was absorbing the life force of Chaos. But Chaos stabbed Elysia's heart, too.

The next events were impossible to describe. Halfway through the fall, a huge explosion went off, only the smoke wasn't smoke. It was more like mist. It was bright blue, blindingly so. It sounded like thunder exploded above them. They completely went deaf. They all were blasted back from the cliff by fifty feet. Every single person, under Chaos' control or not, passed out. Whatever caused it was huge. It didn't, however, damage Chaos' large and empty fortress.

* * *

><p><em>I don't know how to feel about this chapter, honestly. I love it and hate it at the same time, since what happened was neccesary for a sequel. Anyway, please answer the following questions...<em>

_1) What do you think of this chapter?_

_2) What is your favorite part of this chapter?_

_3) Were you surprised at how Elysia finished the fight with Chaos?_

_4) What do you think the explosion does and/or what caused it?_

_Also, I really want feedback. I'm not sure if I like the way this came out, but... feedback is definitely needed so I can do better next time. Anyway, I just want to say... be prepared for the next chapter. If this surprised you... the next chapter may make you want to kill me. *Hides* The next chapter... well, just wait and see. I'd like to mention that the next chapter is the final chapter for part one. That is when we move on to phase 2._

_Also... Jaysia lovers... don't hate me for what happens in the next part. I would tell you the name and the prophecy for the next part, but... it's still a spoiler, so... I won't say it. I promise I will whenever I post the final chapter._


	20. Part One: Final Chapter XVII

**Part One: Percy Jackson & The Case of the Missing Campers**

Chapter XVII

Jay's head hurt terribly. He felt like he was made of stone. He couldn't open his eyes or move a single muscle in his body. To open his eyes took him far too much energy than it should have for such a small and menial task. It took him a minute or two, but he managed to get himself in a normal sitting position. When he did, he felt like his head was a bomb getting ready to explode. His ears were ringing, his head was throbbing, and his eyes hurt when he looked at anything that reflected light. Jay definitely had the worst headache ever.

A mumbled and muted word came from his right. "Jay?" It must have been someone speaking to him.

"Who is it?" he asked, feeling a fiery pain shoot down his throat.

"It's Rhea. Can you hear me?" Her voice still was muffled and distorted, but he got the basic idea that Rhea was trying to talk to him.

"Kind of… what happened? Where are we?" he asked.

Rhea's eyes went wide. So he didn't know anything, either. Nobody did. Rhea, however, seemed like it was a hazy dream with static that she couldn't make out. Some battle took place here. That's all she could figure. She was hoping that Jay, who she noticed was waking up, would know something more than she. It was frustrating.

"What happened?" Jay repeated.

"I don't know. Everyone's here, Jay. The missing are here. All the campers from Camp Jupiter, even people from New Rome. There are also tons of Greeks I don't recognize. I haven't been able to locate Jason… Reyna isn't too far from you, but she's unconscious."

Jay glanced around. "I wonder what happened here."

"Same," Rhea replied. "I think others are waking. Get up."

Jay did as he was told. Rhea wasn't someone to mess with. Rhea was good at turning people into creatures when she wanted to. Not to mention, he didn't want to be on her bad side because he's had a crush on her for a while now. He never had the guts to approach her.

After an hour or so, most everyone was awake. No one, Greek or Roman, remembered anything on how they got there. Nobody had any ideas on where they were past "in a forest." When they saw the fortress they were next to, Reyna, Percy, and Annabeth decided they should check it out.

The entire group of demigods were worried that they would attract monsters. They knew they needed shelter or something, but Rhea commented that there seemed to be a magical boundary, much like the ones at Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood.

A girl with dark brown hair and slightly tan skin was drawing attention. "Who are all you people? Where is my sister? What is this place?" This girl looked panic stricken.

Jay saw Percy go over to her. "Who are you?"

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, her eyes frantically darting around the crowd that surrounded her.

"I'm Percy Jackson. This is my girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. Can you tell us who you are?" he asked.

The girl looked at him with fear. "My name is Lucie. I can't find my older sister anywhere. She would be here with me… what happened?" The seemingly twelve year old girl started to cry, and Percy just let her cry on his shoulder.

"Are you a demigod?" Percy asked quietly.

"Seaweed brain!" a blonde mumbled.

Lucie stopped crying and looked at Percy and Annabeth. "Are you guys demigods, too?"

"Yes," Annabeth replied. "Do you know who you're godly parent is?"

Lucie shook her head no, but seemed to relax a bit. She calmed down enough to explain. "My sister, Elysia, and I are demigods. We were told that by some guy named Nico…"

"Nico di Angelo?" Percy asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah. He told us that we could come to camp, but he said he couldn't tell us who our godly parent was. I may not look it, but I'm fourteen. He told us a few years ago. I don't know… he also told us to go to some camp. We didn't want to. Ely didn't want to leave our mom and step dad behind. Neither did I. I just don't know what to do. How did we get here and where is my sister? Has something happened to her?" Lucie asked with big blue eyes.

"I don't know," Annabeth responded. "Nobody remembers anything. I'm sure we'll find your sister. She's got to be around here somewhere, right?"

She grabbed Lucie's hand and they began to walk around the crowd. A six year old shouted, "Who are you? Nobody knows you! Maybe you did this to us!"

Lucie stopped and looked at the young girl. "I swear I didn't. I'm just missing my sister. I don't know you."

Mumbles of agreements with the little girl were said all around.

Annabeth yelled, "Stop it! She's just looking for her sister. Leave her be!"

"No! How do you know that she's not the one who did this to us? She's the only one nobody recognizes!"

"STOP!" a new voice yelled.

"Nico?" Lucie shrieked when she saw his face. "Thank the gods. Tell them I'm not an insane maniac who took everyone's memories!"

"She didn't. She's telling the truth. Also… I think we need to find her sister. She has to be here somewhere."

People started to listen now that it was Nico, Percy, and Annabeth who believed in her. Most were still suspicious of her, but she returned the favor. They searched but had no luck in finding some girl named Elysia. Eventually, people decided that the fortress, creepy or not, would be a good place to get shelter. It was getting cold out. Everyone relocated there and decided to contact Chiron at Camp Half Blood first.

So they prepared an IM. Percy found a drachma on the floor in the dining hall thingy. He tossed it into the rainbow and said, "O Iris, accept my offering. Show my Chiron at Camp Half Blood."

The mist shimmered and words came up. "REDIRECTED TO MOUNT OLYMPUS."

"That's strange," Annabeth mumbled next to Percy.

When it focused in, it showed Chiron at Olympus. "Percy? Hello," he greeted darkly.

"Chiron? Why are you at Olympus?"

"What do you mean why? It's for my safety."

"From what?" Percy asked, totally clueless.

"From Chaos," Chiron replied. Gasps echoed around the fortress. "Do you not remember?"

"I don't remember anything after hearing a girl screaming on Half Blood Hill. From then, it gets hazy…"

Chiron's face looked made of steel. "Then you don't remember Elysia Rook. You don't know what has happened. Does anyone?" he asked.

"No. Chiron, how long were we out?"

"About two weeks."

Everyone's mouth dropped, save Percy. He'd dealt with amnesia before. He knew how weird it was to think you've missed out on any span of time of your life. He'd missed eight months of his because of Hera. Now, apparently, he and everyone else missed two weeks because of Chaos.

"Percy, it is extremely important that you find out what happened. Do you know where you are?"

"No."

"I believe you're in Alaska."

"What the Hades? Why Alaska again?" Percy mumbled under his breath.

"You all should rest up and return to your homes as soon as possible. May I speak with Elysia Rook, Lucie Rook, Rhea Jones, Zayne Knight, Jay O'Connor, you, and Annabeth alone?"

"Nobody can find Elysia."

"Then the rest of you will do."

Everyone else left, but the ones who did weren't sure what to say. Most barely knew each other. "What is this about?" Lucie asked, staring at the centaur.

"You all went on a quest to retrieve the missing campers. You all will be grieved to hear this, but… Jason Grace is dead. I'm sorry. Does anyone here know anything of Elysia's fate?" Chiron asked. "She was your quest leader." Reyna started tearing up before turning away from everyone.

"No, Chiron. We don't know anything about Elysia other than that she's Lucie's sister."

"Elysia Rook was a daughter of Thanatos. Lucie is a daughter of Poseidon. You do know that, right?" Chiron inquired as he glanced at Lucie.

Lucie shook her head. "That's weird! I thought my sister and I had the same godly parent…" she mumbled. "I need to find her."

Chiron looked to her with those sad eyes. "I'm sorry, dear, but I believe your sister is dead. Fret not, you can visit her."

Lucie nodded, but she turned around and said, "I'll talk to you guys later…"

She left them. "Jay, do you remember Elysia at all?"

Jay shook his head. "No. Why does it matter to me?"

"She was your girlfriend, I believe."

His mouth dropped. He didn't like the idea of having a girlfriend he didn't know about. Plus, he didn't want Rhea to hear that his girlfriend was dead. He knew that those things sounded really selfish, but… he had no memory of this Elysia girl. Honestly, Jay didn't really think that a daughter of Thanatos would be his type, anyway. Thanatos was creepy, even more so than Hades.

"I don't know what to say. I have no idea who this girl you're talking about is. I'm sorry," Jay said, feeling really guilty over this. He wished he could remember her. If he went on the quest with both Rhea and Elysia, he must have really liked her. Now, he really wished he remembered her and everything that happened. He hated the fact that he and everyone else forgot everything.

If only he could get his memories back.

If only he could get her back.

Chiron looked disappointed. "It's possible that Aphrodite might be able to influence you to remember somehow…"

Jay nodded. The idea of seeing Aphrodite made him a bit nervous. "I'll try it."

"Now, for the rest of you," Chiron began. "We will see if Hypnos can restore your memory. I do, however, believe Chaos' magic is what caused you to forget anything related to Elysia. This brings up the possibility that it isn't over yet."

"Great," Percy said. "So now what do we do?"

"First we must restore your memories. After that, if she is alive, we must locate Elysia. If all else fails, we will send a search party out even without memories of her. For now, just rest. Return here tomorrow. We will have a meeting with the gods."

The very next day, Jay found himself in Olympus with the other people he had gone on the quest with. After the conversation with Chiron, Nico shadow travelled to the Underworld to see if he could find Elysia. Instead, he brought back a guarantee that Jason was dead. Elysia's spirit was nowhere to be found. It gave Lucie hope that her sister was alive. It also gave Jay hope, too, that he would find her and meet her again and get to know her the right way. He'd practically given up on Rhea. He felt a surge of loyalty to Elysia and regretted anything he thought when he first woke up.

Hades hadn't been informed that his daughter was missing. Thanatos confirmed she wasn't dead. This made everyone confused, even a few gods. "Well that must mean something caused her to leave all of us behind, right?" Jay said.

"That isn't like my sister. She must have been taken captive," Lucie responded disdainfully. "That means Chaos is still alive."

"No, that isn't possible," Rachel Dare, the Greeks' oracle, said. "Otherwise all the missing would still be missing."

"Maybe Chaos fled the scene?" Annabeth muttered in response.

"It seems unlikely, but it could possibly explain why the campers are all fine and Elysia missing. She would have gone after Chaos, I presume," Rhea said.

"It doesn't fit with the prophecy," Rachel responded. "The one Chiron told me doesn't make any sense if Chaos ran. The prophecy would have mentioned something about it. The entire prophecy, word for word, was _the daughter of death shall lead the group of nine up north and to the west, enclosed in endless pine, where the evil stirs, for only sacrifice to save to bring those back from beyond the grave. And despair without a hero's hand to be lost in unfamiliar land._"

"Well… if Chaos ran and Elysia went after her… that could count as a sacrifice, right?" Percy said. "She would have had to go alone."

"Enough with your theorizing," Zeus ordered. "Aphrodite, please take Jay to someplace you deem fit for what you're about to do. Hypnos will take the rest."

A girl stood. She had long, straight black hair that went about mid-waist. She had long black eyelashes and natural beauty. Jay realized she looked somewhat like Rhea, but different at the same time. Her eyes were a dark blue, her skin slightly pale. "I am Aphrodite," she said with a dazzling smile.

Jay's breath was taken away. He really couldn't think clearly. Aphrodite was beautiful. She vaguely reminded him of someone, but he couldn't focus on the feeling. She took his hand and led him to a quiet room. It was decorated beautifully perfect. "Now, Jay O'Connor, who do I look like to you?"

He stuttered a few times before getting out, "Nobody I know."

A frown cascaded down the goddess' features. "Do I look like this?" she inquired as she took out a picture of a girl who looked just like her.

Jay nodded. "Except you're prettier."

"That's only because I'm the goddess of love. Of course I'm more beautiful. I am the perfected version of the girl you see. Jay, my form always takes shape of what the viewer finds most attractive. Now, do I spark any memories for you?" Aphrodite asked.

Jay sadly shook his head no. "I'm sorry."

"That is a shame. Just start talking about things you like. I remember you and her liked the same movies and music."

"How would you know that?" Jay asked.

"Wherever love sparks, a part of my spirit is there. I also remember you pleading for my help on impressing Elysia at the masquerade. You're lucky I granted it to you."

"I don't remember any of this."

"That really is a shame. It seems as if it is Chaos who has your mind blocked. Very well, out of here. Go and see Hypnos."

Jay didn't want to. He really wanted to stay, but part of him, his subconscious, maybe, told him that her beauty was unnatural and it was only because she was the goddess of love and beauty. "Can I have the picture?" he asked.

Aphrodite smiled as she pulled it out. "Here, take it. Now, go."

Jay took the picture and did as he was told. When he reached the throne room again, it was only Zeus there. "Hypnos is that way, unless you've recovered memories?"

"No, I haven't. How do you deal with such a beautiful love goddess roaming around?"

Zeus smirked. "Just go over to your left."

Jay turned to his left and entered a strange room. He immediately felt tired after taking a step inside. "Hello?" he asked.

A guy walked over to him. "Ah, I see not even Aphrodite could trigger a memory for you. You've come to the right place, my boy. Go and lay down over there, next to your sleeping friends."

Jay didn't like this guy. He thought he was creepy, but he was too tired to argue. He smelled some vanilla incents, and he knew it must be those that made him so drowsy. Slowly, he made his way over to the bed. Once he sat on it, he fought the urge to collapse right then and there. With a lot of effort, he managed to take his shoes and jacket off before crawling under the blankets. The blankets were soft, the pillow was like a cloud, and he drifted off with a feeling of peace spreading throughout his body.

When they would wake, everyone would finally know the truth.

They just had to wait for it.

_~the end of part one~_

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><p><em>First off, I'd like to start by apologizing for my slow update. I've been busy lately, but... this is my first completed story on here. So... this is huge for me right now. :)<em>

_Now, time for the questions..._

_1) How do you feel about my sudden plot twist? (The memory loss.)_

_2) What do you think happened to Elysia now that you have "proof" she isn't dead?_

_3) What do you think of Jaysia?_

_4) What was the best and worst part of the story so far?_

_5) How excited are you for the sequel?_

_On that note... you're probably going to be excited for this part..._

_Now's the moment I unveil what I've been working on for months._

_..._

_**Part Two: Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero**_

After waking up with no memory, the quest goers attempt to recover their lost memories. A year passes with no success. Out of nowhere, a new prophecy foreshadowing doom without the goddess of Elysium frightens them into finally sending a party to retrieve Elysia, but… has too much time passed to recover their hero? Join new and old characters as they try to remember their pasts and save a friend they don't remember... or do they?

...

Okay, so... there's a bit more. Do you want to be teased about this even more so? If so, go to **youtube** and type in **xSSAEmilyPrentissx**. There, you will see my channel. Click on it, and find my only video entitled **Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero Teaser.** When you see it, I hope you enjoy. I made that when I was unable to access the internet. I really hope you enjoy it. In that video, it will not only tease you about what's changed over the year, but it will also let you know the OCs accepted. :) Also, I hope it gives you insight on how the characters are envisioned by me. If you feel your character is different than how I've made it out to be, PM me (or mention in the review). In general, if you don't have a youtube, just tell me what you found surprising or interesting from the video right here. :)

...

One last thing before the big paragraph down below. I plan on posting PJ&TFH when summer starts for me. (In other words, a few weeks.) Eventually, I'll be updating regularly. I hope you guys are ready for what's in store. :)

...

Now's the time for my sappy little "goodbye." As I mentioned earlier, this is my first completed story other than a oneshot on here. I love this story with all my heart. I poured myself into it. I've worked hard for you, I've stayed up late for all of you, I've answered all your PMs, I've entertained you. I've written all this for_ you_. I want you to know that this means a lot to me. It should mean a lot to you, too. I've cherished all the reviews you've given. Now, all I ask is that you drop one more for this story... and hopefully say that you're sticking with me to the end. I want you to acknowledge that this story, through all ups and downs, has been the best story I've written personally. Thank you for being loyal and amazing friends. I use the word 'friends' because even if I don't know you all personally, I know that you've spent time reading my work. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Your insane friend,

xFullmetalSoulx

_P.S.- That was really sappy wasn't it? xD_


	21. OC LIST & A Surprise

**Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero **

**OC LIST**

Here's the list of OCs since I know that not everyone can access YouTube.

Jay O'Connor, son of Nox.

Lucie Rook, daughter of Poseidon, Hunter of Artemis.

Lessa Keth, daughter of Pan.

Ellen Larkin, daughter of Athena, Hunter of Artemis.

Shaw Triest, daughter of Hephaestus, Hunter of Artemis.

Shawn Triest, son of Hephaestus.

Adam Lyron, son of Circe.

Rhea Jones, daughter of Trivia.

Elysia Rook, daughter of Thanatos.

Caliope Oxentenko, daughter of Phobos.

Zavion Beckner, son of Kronos.

There's also another character, but it's a bit irrelevant. Anyway, I would give you a sneak peek if I had one, but everything I had of the first chapter just died or something because of my stupid laptop. I was going to surprise you guys and have it posted earlier today, but... that ultimately failed. :( Sorry! Expect it next week, maybe even a week after that. I'd like to have it rewritten up to chapter 3 before I post anything, but it'll take a lot of effort for me. I'm sorry! I feel terrible that the date is being pushed back. Everything I've typed since my computer's stupidity, I've hated for some reason. It's really annoying. :-(

For any of you who read my other stories, I plan on updating The Explosion soon.

Well, that about wraps it up for me. I'm terribly sorry for not being able to update sooner. -_-

I do have one thing for you all, though.

_The son of night shall embark with eight by his side,_

_Roaming among the shadow he shall not reside,_

_To find the forgotten hero or face his world's raze,_

_And loosing a close companion by Chaos' gaze._

_To stray from the path laid before him by the Fates,_

_As a last attempt to break past the final gates._

Now, let me know what you think of that in a review, please! (Keep in mind that this prophecy is a rough idea.)

Your friend in fanfiction,

xFullmetalSoulx


	22. Part Two: Chapter I

Well, here it is, everyone! Chapter one of The Forgotten Hero! Read and Review!

*Disclaimer- I own the rights to Percy Jackson in my dreams, but not in real life.

* * *

><p><strong>Part Two: Percy Jackson &amp; The Forgotten Hero<strong>

I

Shaw crashed against the bunk in the Artemis cabin. She was exhausted from playing Capture the Flag against the campers… and winning. Of course the Hunters would win. They were undefeated.

In any case, she was still tired. Slowly, she sat up and pulled off her boots.

"Hey," Lucie, her friend, said while taking a seat next to Shaw. "So… I noticed you haven't been sleeping much lately…"

"Oh, don't worry about me," Shaw said, untying the last lace. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not," Ellen Larkin, daughter of Athena, her other best friend, remarked. "It's been going on for weeks. It's time we do something about it."

Shaw looked to the ground below her and sighed. "Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Come on! We're demigods," Lucie said nicely. "We've most likely been through the same thing once or twice. We'll understand."

Shaw sighed again, but this time, turned her gaze to the ceiling of the Artemis cabin above her. "I've been having dreams about my brother lately."

"The one who left?" Ellen asked.

She nodded before continuing. "He's wandering all alone in complete darkness. It's hard to describe the lighting… it's dark, but he radiates light or something. I'm not sure how to describe it to you guys… Sometimes, he's attacked by monsters. They radiate light too, but you cannot see them from a distance. I just worry about him every time I sleep."

"That's understandable, even if he left you without saying goodbye," Ellen commented. "I'm sorry that you have been getting those dreams."

"Do you know where he is?" Lucie asked.

"No, not really. Just that dark place. I miss him so much," Shaw sighed nostalgically. "Anyways… while on the topic of missing family… Lucie, I know it's a sore subject, but has there been any news about your sister, Elysia?"

It was Lucie's turn to look nostalgic. "I haven't heard anything. There is no news about her whereabouts, but I'm positive she's alive. She has to be somewhere… I just wish I would get a dream about her by now," Luce muttered with furrowed eyebrows. "It's like she doesn't even exist anymore. With no memory of the events that happened with Chaos… I only think it's going to get worse without my sister. You've heard her past, correct?"

Shaw shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"She's the goddess of Elysium, born to Hades and Hecate. When she grew up, she wanted to experience mortal life. Hecate was only able to make her half human. The gods sent her to Camp Half Blood, where she assumed the name Alexandria of Sparta, daughter of Hades. That's when she met her first brawl against Chaos. She won at the cost of her own life. In 1678, she was reborn as a daughter of Chaos named Zinaida Lenochka. She died in 1697 at the hands of pirates. Then, she was reborn as my sister, Elysia Rook, who was actually a daughter of Thanatos claimed by Hades, if I recall what Chiron told me correctly. I never knew she was the daughter of death. It never seemed to suit her personality. She was dark, she loved Evanescence, but she always had light in her heart. I just hope that whatever she's gone through, that light is still there. If that goes, the Elysium inside her does as well. Wherever she is, she needs to be found soon. Nico tells me that Elysium has gotten to be less cheerful by the day. She needs to be found soon, or else Elysium will cease to exist. Where would heroes go then?"

"We couldn't go to the Isles of the Best immediately. Without anything to achieve but the Fields of Asphodel… that wouldn't be good," Ellen said.

"Couldn't we just get another spirit of Elysium?" Shaw asked.

Lucie shook her head. "No, it isn't even possible. Not while she's alive. Plus, you can't just have someone random take over. It would have to be a descendant in some way. Elysia hasn't had any children in any of her past lives, as far as we are concerned. Even if she did, it would be trying to find a needle in a haystack. We would have to comb through Alexandria's heritage, in which case, the child would have an incredibly weak relation, even if we managed to find someone. Two thousand years is a long time. Also, if we had to go through Zinaida's time, the relation still wouldn't be strong. It would be practically pointless. There's also the question of if she ever did in the first place. She died pretty young in all her lives. Even given the time periods, if she was a demigod, it's unlikely she ever married. It's also unlikely anyone would have forced themselves on her. It's practically impossible for her to have had a child."

"That makes sense," Ellen remarked before she sighed. "I'm sorry your sister is missing still. A year is a long time to go without her."

"For a human, maybe. But you have to remember that she isn't human. According to what Chiron told me, when she was given a necklace, her body was slowly getting stronger, to its original form. That would mean that by now, she's a full goddess. But something must have been keeping her from gaining strength. If she was a goddess, it's likely she would have escaped by now from whatever is holding her back. What's most probable is that the necklace was taken from her before her body was complete. This means she is stronger than a regular demigod, but weaker than a god. Due to the unique combination, it could either work in her favor or against her."

"How could it work against her?" Shaw asked.

"Well, the transformation was incomplete. There's a chance that since it wasn't finished, she is worse off than if she hadn't started the process. According to Hades, she should already have gained all memories of her past lives. That was the first step. But now, her body may not be able to hold all the power, and she could simply drain her energy in one fight. If that had been the case, she'd be dead right now, and Elysium would be dead as well. So we know that hasn't happened. That is how we know her body was seventy five percent inhuman."

"That's weird. So is there another way it could work against her?"

"It's possible it may tire her easily still, and that makes her easier to subdue in a fight. It would hinder her abilities unless she uses just the things she had as only a daughter of Thanatos, as the demigod Elysia Rook. If she attempts to use anything from her other godly parents, or her godly self, she could tire herself so easily, it would be easy to beat her if they survived her attack. Whatever the case, my sister is smart. She probably figured this out on her own."

"Does this mean we should find the necklace?" Shaw asked.

Lucie shook her head. "It wouldn't make a difference without her here. Also, Chaos herself may have it. If that's true, there is no getting it back."

"Why can't they just make another one?" Shaw asked curiously.

"That necklace was made when she was made human. Each time she was reborn, her memories were taken by Hades himself and placed into that necklace. There is no way to retrieve them, since they came from the only source… Elysia herself. It is also impossible to make copies of memories, so there is no way to just make another one."

"That's why she needs to turn up soon," Ellen added. "The gods also haven't sent demigods to get her because they want everyone to remember her before they do, so they know her personality. That reassures that it's nobody in disguise. If any enemy hears that the gods are searching for their lost hero, and none of the quest members remember her clearly, the enemy would simply need to take her form to manipulate Olympus. Still, the gods may need to send out a search party soon to recover her before Elysium falls."

"Then why haven't they sent you as a leader, Lucie?" Shaw asked, looking back at the daughter of Poseidon.

"I've tried consulting with Rachel Dare, the oracle. She says it isn't the right time, and I'm not the right person. Therefore, the gods turn their attention to Jay, who supposedly was my sister's boyfriend. They believe he will remember something before I will, but he hasn't. I haven't. So, the oracle is definitely right about something… it isn't time."

"Yeah, I guess… Anyway, I have one last question," Shaw said.

"What is it?" Ellen asked.

"How is it that you all became friends?" she asked.

Lucie sighed. "When my sister and I moved to Buffalo, my sister met Ellen and Lessa at school. Lessa was our neighbor, and Ellen was a really good friend of hers. I never knew that we would turn out to all be demigods. Lessa, a daughter of Pan, Ellen, a daughter of Athena, me, a daughter of Poseidon, and my sister a daughter of Thanatos; it's funny that none of us were attacked at the same time, as a group."

"That is weird. Anyway, thanks for sharing. I'm really tired now," Shaw said, her eyes slipping closed, clearly heavy. "Goodnight."

She stood up with her pajamas in hand and went to the bathroom to change.

Suddenly, the door to the Artemis cabin swung open. Thalia, their leader, came in running. "Guys, there's been news about Chaos."

Just like that, she delivered everyone's worst nightmare. People were terrified about Chaos arising again, since the only one to face her and win was missing for a year now. Everyone in the cabin held their breath. Lucie's eyes watered a bit. Chaos was the reason her sister was gone in the first place, let alone their memories of the events. Anger filled her emotions. She was done with being sad over her sister's disappearance.

"What is it?" Lucie asked.

"Nobody will tell me anything. Lucie, it's best if you and Ellen talk to Chiron. I bet he'll talk to you guys," she replied.

Ellen and Luce looked at each other before walking towards the door. They both ran once they were out of the cabin. The lights from the Big House shone bright.

Back at the Artemis cabin, Shaw was ready to collapse. That's exactly what she did when she touched her bed. The soft sheets were welcoming, the pillow soft as a cloud. Her heavy eyes fell closed in an instant. She turned away from the lights, and her last thought before sleep overcame her was, "I hope my dreams are pleasant tonight."

Shaw hated her dreams. They always came when it was most inconvenient. Also, it always played out like a movie. She could make comments and do nothing as harm came to her brother. It was always a tragic movie.

This time, the scene came upon her brother, lying on the ground, bleeding to death with a monster in pursuit. The monster was shrouded in darkness, but its growl ripped through the darkness.

Arrows flew around, their only indication of being there the sound of someone pulling an arrow back and releasing it. The monster must have ran away, because its growls and screeches became distant as time went on.

A girl ran to Shawn's side. "What are you doing here? You're just a mortal." Her voice was a bit harsh and cold. Definitely not the friendly type.

"You're not even going to ask my name?" Shawn asked her as she tended to his wounds.

"Our names mean nothing here. What matters is if you're friend or foe," the girl said, staring into his eyes, as if to scare him into telling her the truth. "And to know if you're friend or foe, I'll need to know what you ended up here for."

"I'm looking for something down here," Shawn asked.

The girl pulled tight on the bandages. "Not specific enough."

"Fine, it's more like someone," Shawn said, staring at her cold hands tying the last of the bandage down.

"Who are you going after?"

"Ah, I thought names didn't matter here."

"If you'd paid closer attention, I said _our_ names didn't matter here," the female said harshly.

Shawn narrowed his eyes. "Fine, you win." He put his hands up in mock surrender. "But I was ordered not to say anything about it by my leader. I'm sorry," he said, staring into her eyes.

She pulled away and said, "I can respect you not being able to talk about it. However, if I find that you betray me, I will kill you in an instant, no hesitation."

"Tell me your name. Maybe I'm here to find you?"

"Nobody is ever here to find me. I doubt you are."

"Why won't people come to find you?" Shawn asked, slightly softer.

"It's none of your concern. Anyways, can you stand? Monsters will swarm this place soon."

The girl offered a hand, and Shawn took it reluctantly. When he tried to stand on his own, he stumbled, and the girl rolled her eyes and took some of his weight. "Be careful, idiot."

"Sure," Shawn mumbled.

Shaw woke to her shoulder being shaken. "Shaw, wake up!"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Why do I need to wake up?" she asked.

"I know you haven't been sleeping, but everyone's meeting in the amphitheater. There's been news about Chaos and Elysia. Thalia, Lucie, and Ellen are gathering people now. Let's go," Sabrina said, a fellow Hunter.

Shaw stood and stretched before putting on her combat boots. Then, she ran outside with her friend.

Nico di Angelo stood next to Ellen, Lucie, and Thalia with his girlfriend, Eileen Nakamura. She wasn't the most positive girl at camp, but she was there for him when he needed her. That's what he cared about. She also was always a bit nicer around him than anyone else. He knew she used to be carefree before the titan war. He was kind of happy he brought out that bit inside her again. He knew she made him feel a bit more like his old self before he found out he was a son of Hades.

The thought made him smile a bit. He missed his sister a lot now that she was reborn. He wasn't supposed to know who she was reborn as, but he wanted to know, just to see her once. Though it was a bad idea, it would give him reassurance that she found a fresh start. He'd been contemplating on whether or not he should visit her at least once. Honestly, he hoped that she would be reborn into a regular mortal's life and live a full life, not some short demigod life. He wanted more for his sister than fighting monsters all her life, like his other sister, Elysia.

Elysia. He was worried about her. Despite the fact that he hadn't known her for very long, he knew that she was his sister nonetheless. Nico was always worried for other demigods, but when they are related to him in any way, he's reminded of Bianca and of his personal vow to protect all his family as he should have done for Bianca.

For him, the memory loss felt fuzzy. He felt like he was so close to remembering what happened. He remembered some things. He remembered a turret, and mentioning Alexandria of Sparta. That was a crystal clear memory for him. He also remembered more than just that.

He remembered what happened with Chaos, but he didn't want to inform the gods until he knew what that explosion was. Obviously, it was what caused the memory confusion, but had Elysia caused it or Chaos? Elysia began to recognize her past lives, so it was possible she used a spell to have everyone forget her and Chaos. If that was the case, why would she do it? Why would Chaos, for that matter, anyway?

So, he kept this to himself. And it was just recently that he remembered that, too. As a matter of fact, it was yesterday he remembered the explosion. Other than that and the turret, he didn't remember anything. It was like static on a television with those, but at least it wasn't a black screen.

He constantly wondered if the quest goers were gaining bits and pieces of their memories, too. It was the one question that haunted him the most. He couldn't blatantly ask them, and not when other people were around.

Anyways, he squeezed Eileen's hand. "Nico, I hope your sister is alright. Good luck with the quest…" She kissed his cheek and went down, where the rest of the crowds were.

At that moment, everyone who knew Elysia was summoned to the amphitheater. Everyone who went on the quest was there, too, save Jason. When they all stood on the stage, Rachel Dare stepped out with a grim look on her face.

When Chiron trotted up, everyone stopped talking. "Demigods of Rome and Greece, you were called here tonight because we have finally received news of Chaos. Rachel, if you will be so kind."

She stepped forward and almost looked scared. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _"The forgotten goddess shall perish in the shadow lands, if she isn't found by the hectic hands, lost and disoriented by the chaos within, brought to the brink of insanity once yet again, and on the final night, she shall cease to see all light."_

Gasps erupted from the crowd, almost simultaneously.

Jay felt his heart beat faster. He wished he could get her. This past year had been hell for him. Each day, he fell asleep wishing—and praying—that he would wake up with some kind of a memory of her. He'd done practically everything he could to retrieve his memories, but nothing worked. The Venus thing didn't work. The Somnus thing didn't work. Even getting a potion from Trivia wouldn't do a single thing. His memories were gone for good.

It was a hopeless endeavor, really. Jay personally decided he probably wouldn't be getting his memories back until he could actually talk to Elysia himself. He couldn't bear the thought of her dying before he could see her. Otherwise, she'd forever be a ghost that haunted him.

"We need a quest!" he said. "I can lead it."

"Not so fast, my boy," Chiron said. "She isn't finished yet."

"_The son of night shall embark with eight by his side, roaming among the shadow lands where he shall not reside, to find the forgotten hero or face his world's raze, and losing a close companion by Chaos' gaze, to stray from the path laid before him by the Fates, as a last attempt to break past the final gates."_

More gasps erupted from the audience. It was set in stone that terrible things were going to happen, but Jay would go, regardless of the threat of danger. He simply needed to find her, and if it was up to him, he would do so. There was so much he wanted to ask, but the prophecy seemed to say she'd die. It just wasn't fair.

"Who will come with me?" Jay asked.

"This isn't the time," Chiron said. "We'll send you on your way after the Masquerade."

"Why can't we leave now? The Masquerade is tomorrow night!"

"It may trigger memories for you all," Chiron answered. "Also, I must consult the gods. I take it none of you know where the shadow lands are… or what they are." Jay conceded. There was nothing more he could say, and Chiron wouldn't thank him for questioning him in front of all his campers, so Jay simply nodded. "Campers, you are dismissed!"

Everyone who wasn't on the stage began to leave except Thalia, Shaw, Lessa, Grover, and Juniper, his girlfriend. They all climbed the steps to talk with Chiron.

"Jay, you must choose who you'll take with you on this quest," Chiron said. "I recommend you take some Hunters with you."

"Lucie, I think you and Ellen should come. You should also take another Hunter," Jay said.

"Can I go?" Shaw asked. "My brother is in a dark place, too. I think they might be in the same place. I could be helpful."

Jay wasn't sure what to think. Three rather inexperienced Hunters? He knew he would be more comfortable if he had one more experienced Hunter with him, but he could hardly say no to Shaw. She looked sad that her brother was missing, and why couldn't they try to save them both? "Alright. You three can come. Lessa…"

"Say no more. I need to prove I'm worthy of taking my father's place. This quest will do that," she said with a smile. "Plus, I miss Lucie and Ellen!"

"Percy, Nico…" Jay said.

"Of course we'll come," Percy said. "What? Did you think we wouldn't or something?"

Jay just smiled. "What about me?" Rhea said. "She's practically my sister. I need to go on this quest, Jay." When he looked at her, he felt uncomfortable. His crush on her the year before still bugged him, but it wasn't like he could say no to her.

"I have no problem with it," he lied easily. "We just need one more person."

Everyone looked expectantly on Annabeth, but she shook her head no. "I'm sorry, but I get a really bad feeling about this quest, like I shouldn't be on it. I don't know how to describe it. I think you should take Adam Lyron, son of Circe. He's really good at location spells."

"Okay, we'll talk to him tomorrow," Jay decided. "Now we should all get some sleep."

Jay and the rest of the Romans went to the Big House to spend the night. Percy went to the Poseidon cabin, Annabeth to the Athena cabin, Nico to the Hades cabin, and Lucie, Ellen, and Thalia to the Artemis cabin.

* * *

><p><em>There you have it. Thoughts? Opinions? Also, I know not everything is explained yet, that will happen in the next chapter. <em>

_So... 3 questions for you all today._

_1) What do you think of the OC's introduced?_

_2) Who do you think the girl is who helped Shawn?_

_3) Why do you really think Annabeth doesn't want to go on this quest?_

_Well, that's it for questions. :) I want to let you all know that I posted this rather early. I just finished the second chapter, and I said I wouldn't post this until I had up to the third written, but... you guys are awesome, so I needed to update._

_With that being said... REVIEW, please!_


	23. Part Two: Chapter II

**Part Two: Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero**

Chapter II

The next morning, the whole camp was jittery. The Masquerade, the one to be held in Elysia's honor, was tonight. None of the quest members were allowed to embark on their journey to the "shadow lands" until tomorrow, and it was clearly making them restless. Chiron left early that morning to meet with gods on Olympus. It was pretty obvious he wasn't sharing everything he knew.

Since the Masquerade was the first "official" Camp Half Blood-Camp Jupiter dance, everyone was excited, namely… the Aphrodite/Venus kids. They were the ones with the most elaborate dresses and tuxedos. Outfits came via Hermes Express from Lucie's uncle, Mason. The previous quest members were to wear the outfits they supposedly wore at the last Masquerade, to try and trigger memories.

But Jay wasn't going with anyone. Tons of Venus girls—who wanted to "fix his broken heart"—asked him, but he didn't say yes to anyone. He felt it would betray the memory of him and Elysia together, even if he didn't quite have that memory in his brain. He would have gone with a friend, but he wasn't sure who to ask. Rhea was going with a guy named Zayne, who had been on the quest with them last year. Surprisingly, he was okay with it.

Jay couldn't really ask any of the Hunters, even Lucie, since they all were going together as a giant group. They really hated boys, at least… most of them did.

Also, he couldn't mimic what the Hunters were doing because all his guy friends already had dates. Percy was going with Annabeth, Nico with Eileen, and Zayne with Rhea. Also, he didn't particularly want to ask Reyna. She would have gone to the Masquerade last year with Jason, but… yeah, he didn't want to bring up sour memories.

There was Lessa Keth, the friend of Elysia's from school, but he didn't know her very well. There was also a possibility that she would have a date, too.

So where did that leave him? Dateless.

Jay aimlessly walked around in the forest at Camp Half Blood. He wasn't sure what he should do with his time to kill, so he took out his sword and practically dared any monster to come at him. The best way to clear his head was to fight. It never failed.

After he thought that, a large scorpion jumped out at him from the woods. He swung in a second, and the monster exploded into monster dust, its essence going back to Tartarus.

Tartarus.

"No…" he murmured aloud. Could that be where Elysia was? If immortal forces, like monsters, went to Tartarus when their bodies died, could that mean the same for Chaos and Elysia? What if she wasn't fully a goddess when she died, though?

He sighed internally. He wished he knew what happened before he woke up with no memories. What caused that? Was it a spell?

Jay sat down, right where he was. He leaned against a rock and realized this was the place the Greeks called Zeus' Fist. "Elysia… what happened?" It was the question he wanted answered the most. If he knew what happened, he'd know where to look and how to proceed. It felt as if this entire past year he'd been chasing a ghost of the past.

Now, his past was coming to meet him in his future. He wasn't sure how to handle that. What would he say when he saw her? Would he even see her?

What if she felt hurt and betrayed that no one's come to get her?

All those questions would only be answered with time, but Jay wasn't known for being very patient.

…

She sighed as Shawn tried to stand. "You idiot, you're not well enough to stand."

"I'll do what I want," he said back.

"You're so childishly stubborn. Suck it up, kid. You're only fourteen? Fifteen? Act your age," the girl said harshly, forcing him down.

"You don't look much older than I am," he mentioned.

"I've been in here for a long, long, time. Aging doesn't seem to happen here."

"How long is a long time?"

"It's hard to say in mortal time. It could have been days, weeks, hell, even centuries. It's not like we can follow along on a calendar. There's nothing to judge how much time passed. There's no light to tell us anything." The girl sat down on the ground next to him.

"How old were you when you came in here?" he asked.

"That is also a tricky matter. I'm not sure."

"What do you mean, you're not sure?" he replied.

"I mean what I say. I'm not sure how old I was when I came in here. I just know that you nor I are strong enough to leave."

"How do you leave?" he asked, glancing around at the darkness.

"There is no way out for mortals. For me, the only way to get out is to use a technique I'd rather not."

"What might that be? Isn't it better to get out of here?"

"Not at the price that I'd have to pay. No, I'd rather stay in here and fade away," she mumbled.

"What price?" Shawn mumbled.

"If I were to get out of here, I'd have to do unspeakable things. I will not do them if there's another option. In my case, there is. I can simply fade away. It could take thousands of mortal years for it to happen, but I will."

"Why choose to give up?" Shawn asked with narrow eyes.

"But you don't see that I'm not. I'd be giving up if I didn't have the strength to accept death. To run from it is to be a coward. To hide from it for a meaningless existence is pathetic. No, I'll die with dignity and honor."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I told you, our names don't matter."

"I'm Shawn Triest, I think that matters."

"If you were to know my name, you would try to save me, or change my mind about what I am doing. Or possibly you'd cheer me on. It is unimportant to anything, so I shall not speak it aloud. I personally believe it's been cursed by the Fates."

"Why did you save me if I'm going to die anyway?" Shawn asked. "I'm not strong enough to be here according to what you say."

"That is for me to keep to myself."

"You ask all the questions and expect answers. When I ask questions, you shove me out the door."

"That is because you don't need to know anything. I have only one mission left before I can allow myself to fade away. You could be a useful ally for the time being."

"What is it you want me to do?" Shawn asked.

"I want you to just trust me."

Shawn sighed. This girl was like talking to a brick wall. She wouldn't tell him anything. He decided that she couldn't' be the one he was looking for, but he felt he should be honest with her. "I'm separated from a group that came down here. Their names are Zave Beckner and Cally Oxentenko. We don't really have a leader, but we've been looking to get a fresh start. We came here to find Chaos, to help her overthrow the gods. Are you with us?"

The girl looked down, startled and shocked at what he said. "I… don't know what to say," she said awkwardly, her demeanor changing drastically from badass monster slayer goddess to frightened and shocked mortal. Only for one second was she that. "No, I cannot betray them. They are my family. You are a demigod, are you not?"

Shawn nodded. "But they are not my family. I wouldn't be close to the people who lead the world to ruin. Whenever you were out there, you had to see that the world isn't a good place. If you've seen the Underworld, how many people make it to Elysium or the Isles of the Blest compared to the Fields of Asphodel or the Fields of Punishment? Even so, Elysium is crumbling to the ground as we speak. Soon, the Isles of the Blest will fade, too. So that says something about the people in the world, doesn't it, and the gods who lead it?"

"And why do you think Chaos would make it better? Have you even seen Chaos, Shawn Triest, clearly the son of Hephaestus?"

"Yes, I have. She spoke to me in a dream. She wants the world to be a better place. She spoke to Zave and Cally, too. With another goddess on Chaos' side, we could grow even more powerful."

"Why would I do such a thing?" his companion asked. "Betray the gods? I am one of them, boy. You should not have told me your plans!"

"But you don't have the guts to kill me, do you?"

He could see fury in her nearly black eyes. Her fists were clenched. Her jaw was locked. She had the looks of a murderer, but not the heart. He could tell, just by looking at her.

"What more could I expect from someone who's scared of her own name?"

The girl stood up and grabbed his collar. She brought his face close to hers before she said, "I warned you I would kill you if you betray me. You are simply toying with me. Toying with a goddess…"

"You talk all high and mighty for someone who wants to die."

Her eyes turned gold, and he began to feel feverish. "You talk too big for a mere mortal. You're lucky my powers are weakened here, or else you'd be a pile of ash." She dropped his shirt and bent down to put her hand on his face, forcing him to look into her godly eyes. "Be careful how you test me. We shall search for your friends."

"Why? Do you want to kill all of us at once?" he asked.

"I feel that you all deserve a lesson, and I'm going to have to be the teacher."

…

By now, the sun had set, and everyone was dressed in their best outfits. All the Aphrodite girls went way overboard, but that was to be expected. Everyone looked amazing (or over the top.) Jay wondered how Elysia looked the night of the Masquerade, a year ago, to the day. It was a weird thought. He felt a sense of déjà vu and immediately got his hopes up. Déjà vu didn't really mean his memories were coming back, but… it was a start.

Lucie felt weird as she put on her blue dress. Her mind was ready to explode. She was driving herself nuts. She needed to remember something, _anything_, about the quest last year. Her mind was just an empty slate, though she felt a feeling of déjà vu, just as Jay had.

They weren't the only ones. Everyone who was on the previous quest felt the annoying feeling of déjà vu. It wouldn't go away, either, so it annoyed everyone.

Once the gods came to the camp, it was time to travel to the castle via godly power. Everyone just suddenly appeared in a castle somewhere in the middle of Canada, according to what they were told.

Once the Romans came, it was pretty packed. All the gods were there in either their Greek or Roman form. This event was extremely important. If the gods didn't honor their heroes, they wouldn't be any better than the titans. Also, since Elysia was the goddess of Elysium, it was important that they show their respect to her. After all, she was the only one to stop Chaos so far… they would have been stuck in Tartarus if not for her.

They wanted to have the Masquerade on Olympus, but… well, Lucie's uncle insisted on hosting it in his castle.

So everyone was wearing masks and stuff. He easily recognized some people by their dresses from earlier, but not all. It seemed as if girls may have even traded their dresses. Jay wandered around, wearing the outfit he wore a year ago, to the day. It didn't spark memories for him at all.

But when he waited for one of his friends to come in, just one, he saw a sight that sparked something.

Rhea, it was clearly her, walked in with a guy who was clearly Zayne, wearing a bright orange dress.

His head hurt for a second, and flashes of the last Masquerade danced behind his eyes. The glass of water he was holding spilled when he touched his head, but he didn't drop the glass.

_"Hey. It's… um, you right?" Rhea asked._

_"Yes," he said._

_"Have you seen Z?" she asked, scanning the crowd. He shook his head no._

_"Have you seen E?" he asked. She shook her head no, too. "By the way, what made you wear an orange dress?"_

_She looked down and blushed. Her dress was orange, of course, and it was floor length, but it cut open in the front, showing the skin just below her knees. Her shoes were silver and about three inches tall. The top of the dress was strapless and fringy. The hairstyle she wore was very cheerful, curly in small curls and tied up and back. The mask she wore had a big flower off to the left side, fading from different shades of orange._

_"I didn't choose this. Elysia's uncle did. Oh, look, I think I see Per… I mean, P. We should go talk to him," Rhea said._

Jay couldn't believe he'd recovered a memory. He was in so much shock, he didn't realize that he bumped into a girl. "Sorry," he murmured. This girl caught his attention. She was wearing a simple yet beautiful silver dress. Her hair was the deepest shade of black, curled in large ringlets. Her skin was light and slightly on the paler side. Her eyes were a dark blue. "Elysia?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry about running into me. I was in a hurry," she said, turning her attention to him.

"I feel like I know you," Jay said.

"Oh, you probably don't. Nobody knows me at all. I dropped by to say hello to my sister."

What?

"She's a demigod, you see… I'm really only her half-sister, but we're really close, and she hasn't seen me in quite some time. If you'll excuse me," she said, giving him a polite smile and walking by him. She walked straight towards all the Hunters… towards Lucie.

Then he realized that wasn't quite right. It wasn't towards Lucie. It was towards one of the other Hunters, one he didn't recognize. His heart dropped. He wanted it to so badly be Elysia. When he thought about it, he felt ridiculous! He was going on a quest to save her from the shadow lands, of course she wouldn't be here.

A hand appeared on his shoulder. "Um… Jay, are you alright?"

Jay turned around in surprise. "Rhe—I mean, R… what are you doing here?"

"You look like you just saw a ghost," she said kindly.

"I kind of did," Jay said, still confused. "I could have sworn I saw Elysia."

Zayne and Rhea's eyes went wide. "Was it her?"

"I don't know," he answered. "She said she was in a hurry, and that she wanted to see her sister that she hasn't seen in a long time. She walked towards the Hunters, but not towards Lucie. I don't know what to make of it. It couldn't be her, could it?"

His friends looked just as confused as he felt. It wasn't like they didn't know where she was, but… the idea that she could be here was enough to make Jay feel a bit better.

"What if it's an imposter?" Zayne murmured. "We should be careful tonight. At least the gods are here."

"I get the feeling you're not telling us everything," Rhea said, giving him that look that could see right through him.

"Fine," he sighed. "I got a memory back, but it's pointless. It was just about your dress."

"Oh… well, I'm sorry it wasn't about Ely."

"It's alright. You guys go dance or something," Jay suggested. He didn't really feel like talking. He wanted to think. He felt that this Masquerade was wasting his time. He did want to honor Elysia, but every second he spent there was minutes ticking by where any number of things could be happening to her in the mysterious "shadow lands."

Both of them walked off, and Jay went to the refreshments table to get some fancy cake thing to nibble on. After he did, he stood off to the side and ate in silence.

"Jay," a strange voice said from behind.

He turned around and glanced behind him, but there was nobody there, just a wall.

"Jay," the voice said, closer this time. "Follow my voice."

"But there's a wall!"

"You should know you're in a castle. Not all walls are actually walls."

He hesitantly pushed the wall in front of him and was astonished to find that it was a secret passageway. Carefully, he walked through, and made sure he wasn't seen. The door slipped closed behind him, and he kept walking forward. "Hello?"

"I'm here," the voice said, much farther ahead than he was.

The tunnel was dark, but there were torches along the sides that illuminated some of the path ahead. The torchlight was eerie. Nothing was worse for a demigod than a small dark space… even if Jay was the son of Nox, the goddess of night.

He kept following the path until it began to turn into steps leading up somewhere in the castle. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the top. Hurry, son of night."

So he hurried. He wasn't sure why he was blindly following this voice. He wasn't sure who it belonged to, though it did sound very female. Was it his mother? Nah, it didn't seem like it. Though he'd never met his mom, he just didn't get the right vibe from this person. It felt even more mysterious than night.

Once he reached the top, he wasn't sure what to call the room he reached. It was a small room, but it opened up to the night. It was a small deck, barely large enough for two people. "Jay," a girl said, who looked roughly seventeen.

"Who are you?" he asked, though he knew that he wasn't supposed to ask for the identities of the other people at the masquerade.

"I am Hecate, the goddess of magic. I called you here because I wish to be the one to explain things to you. I need my daughter found. If Elysium falls… the Isles of the Blest fall. All the heroes who worked hard to achieve a peaceful afterlife will fade away. We cannot let this happen. You need to travel to the land of Erebus, but it goes deeper than that…"

"Is she in Tartarus?" Jay asked.

Hecate looked down. "Yes, my daughter is in Tartarus. Beware, though… Chaos is down there, too. I fear Elysia is very weak by now. She wasn't a full goddess when she went in. The thing is… to travel into Tartarus is barely a viable plan for gods. It certainly is no quest for demigods. To give you the strength to go down there, I shall turn you and all your quest members into gods, but the spell shall fade when you leave Hades' realm. Nico should be able to navigate that part easily. To enter Tartarus is a dangerous task on its own. I trust Nico will be able to help you with that part… and if he is unsure, he could speak to Hades."

Jay nodded. "So… how long would you say we have to find Elysia before she fades completely?"

"It's impossible to tell. Time in Tartarus passes differently than it does here. Minutes could be hours, hours could be minutes. Tartarus was never keen on following time, I'm afraid. But you should know that it doesn't matter if she has a year left or a minute. Always act as if it's a minute."

Jay nodded unsurely. The prophecy did speak of her perishing in the shadow lands. He didn't want her to die. He wanted her alive, breathing, and… godly. Jay found it really hard to believe he fell in love with a goddess. It was a ridiculous thought, it really was. As incredible as her being a goddess was, it definitely intimidated him, just thinking about it.

Hecate pressed something in his hands. "Slip this into your drink and everyone's who's going on the quest. This simple potion shall turn your bodies into that of the gods. When you bleed, it shall be ichor. Your powers will be amplified to godly power. You'll only be able to eat and drink ambrosia and nectar, though… Everything else will be tasteless."

"Will it make us gods immediately?" Jay asked.

Hecate shook her head. "No, it won't. I believe it will only work after you sleep. Once you wake up, the transition should be over with."

"One last question…"

"Yes?"

"How do I know you're really Hecate, and that this isn't poison?"

Hecate narrowed her eyes. "I suppose I'll have to prove it to you. At least you're smart." She snapped her fingers, and a knife appeared. With the knife, she cut her wrist. Ichor spilled out of the wound. "This only proves to you that I'm immortal. Let's see… I guess I'll show you my godly form. Close your eyes until the transition is complete."

He did as he was told.

"You may look," she said.

Jay gazed about where she was earlier, but now, she was roughly ten feet tall. Her hair was dark, and she resembled both Elysia and Rhea. Her eyes were a strange shade of purple, and her dress shimmered like it was made of magic, which it probably was. This woman radiated mystery, magic, and power. If she wasn't Hecate, nobody was.

"I believe you," Jay murmured. He turned away as she returned to her "undercover" form. "Now… does this have to be a secret?" Jay asked.

"Yes, I'd prefer it that way. Zeus and I agreed that it would be best if none other than you knew. He doesn't want the rest of them begging to remain gods. He also doesn't want Jackson to refuse, since it's obvious he is a good hero, and you need him on this quest. He's refused becoming a god once already."

"Really?" Jay asked.

"I believe he refused so he could stay with Annabeth."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Okay… thank you, Lady Hecate."

"Just rescue my daughter, and you'll have my everlasting thanks."

He was about to leave when a question came to mind. "How was she as a goddess?"

Hecate smiled before answering. "She was a great goddess. She didn't get to be the patron of Elysium for nothing, you know. But she grew restless day by day until she told me that she couldn't stay the patron for Elysium without being a hero herself. So I made her half mortal. When she died as Alexandria, Hades and I wanted her to reclaim her place on Olympus, but she declined. She said she needed to live three lives before she would return. All of us wondered why she waited so long to be reborn. She never told us why. But nonetheless, Elysia chose to be reborn as Zinaida Lenochka, who she didn't know was a daughter of Chaos. We dare not speak much of that life. It was the lowest point in Elysia's human lives. But when she was reborn as Elysia Rook, she told us why she wanted to be reborn then. She told us that she felt Chaos was returning. So she went on to be born then and there. Now, she is to retake her place as the goddess of heroes, independence, sacrifice, and Elysium."

His mind was blown. Even though he heard the story a thousand times, it was different coming from Elysia's mother. Also… he didn't know about her reclaiming her place as a goddess until then. It was a lot to process. Even if he found her and they made it through alive, she would be a goddess and he would be a human. She could do so much better than him.

"Thank you, Hecate," he said as he bowed.

"Hurry along, now. Go," she said, shooing him.

* * *

><p><em>There you have it. Like the Masquerade being back? It's nothing like the last time, but... I hope you still liked it. Also, I apologized that this chapter is such a filler, but I think you needed a bit more background on the situation. I also needed to fit in a ShawnStranger moment. You need to get a feel for her character._

_Time for questions!_

_1) Are you still positive our stranger is Elysia?_

_2) What do you think of everyone having to be made temporary gods?_

_3) How do you think Jaysia would work if Elysia were to return and be the goddess of Elysium?_

_Love you all, and thanks for taking the time to review._


	24. Part Two: Chapter III

**Part Two **

**Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero**

Chapter III

When Jay left the secret passageway, he found out that everyone was looking for him. "Jay! There you are!" Lucie asked. "Where the hell were you? You had everyone worried!"

"Um… I fell down a secret passageway. I wondered where it went, so I followed it to this deck thing. I came back after I finished my food."

"Oh," Nico said before he paused. "Guys… do you have any memories returning?"

"Where did that question come from?" Ellen asked.

"Well, I've been remembering things," Nico said. "I was wondering if you guys did, too."

"I did remember things," Jay mentioned. "But they were practically meaningless."

Shaw looked to the ground. "Guys, I had this dream the other night. My brother was found by this girl. It's hard to describe her looks, but I can describe her personality. She acted… well, badass. And harsh. Definitely harsh. I just don't think that sounds like her based on what everyone's said, but I guess being stuck in such a dark place for a year would make anyone bitter…" she rambled.

"We want to know everything that happened, word for word, please."

"Well, she said was just really harsh and not very gentle when she tended to my brother's wounds. She shot down some monster, and then said she'd kill him if he betrayed her. She wouldn't say her name."

"Hmm…" Rhea said. "Let me access your memory. We'll need a quiet place to think, but I'll be able to do it right now. I know what Elysia looks like clearly, and I have vague memories of her…"

The entire group decided to follow Lucie to a large, open deck, unlike the one Jay had seen earlier when he talked to Hecate. This one was huge. It was a crisp evening, but it was beautiful, and Jay felt stronger. "Hey, guys… are you thirsty? I could go and grab us a pitcher for water or something," he suggested.

Rhea nodded. "You should do that. Water helps clear the mind a bit," she mumbled.

"I'm not really thirsty," Lucie said. "What about grabbing me something to eat, if you don't mind?"

"Sure," Jay said. "Want to come with me, Adam?" he asked.

Adam had said he'd go on the quest before the Masquerade, but he felt completely out of place, it was obvious. "Sure…" he mumbled.

So Jay and Adam went to get stuff. Adam carried the glasses, and Jay grabbed the pitcher of water and a tray of food. The question was how to get the potion in without them knowing. Maybe he could slip it into the entire pitcher, not just their individual glasses. When they reached the deck again, Jay set the things down on the railing of the deck.

"Thanks, Jay," Lessa said.

Jay quickly took out the potion and dropped a bit into a brownie without anyone noticing. "Here," he said as he handed it to Lucie.

He dripped bits into everything while everyone focused in on Rhea and Shaw. He poured them a glass of water and handed it to them.

"Thanks, Jay," Rhea said with a smirk on her face, like she knew about the potion in it. Then again, maybe she did. Trivia/Hecate was her mom, after all. After that, he poured himself a glass of water and drank it pretty quickly. It didn't taste any different, but it made him feel… strange.

He focused in on Rhea and what she was doing. "Shaw, I want you to think about the dream. Watch it again in your head. Just focus on remembering what happened in the dream."

Shaw mumbled "Yes."

Rhea put her hands on Shaw's temples and muttered something in Latin. Her hands began to glow a light blue color. She kept saying stuff in Latin, and Rhea's face looked confused, like she wasn't sure what to make of it. All of a sudden, Rhea let go and snapped her eyes open.

"Was it Elysia?" Lessa asked with a worried look.

Rhea looked down. "No, I don't think so. She looked much more different than the Elysia you and I know, but… that could have been her godly looks. Her true form. But Elysia was never that harsh. Never. Not from any memory I have. I don't know what to think…"

"Is there any way for you to play it for me?" Lucie asked.

"Or all of us?" Ellen suggested. "That would work best."

"Yes, it would," Percy added.

Rhea thought about it for a moment before she remembered a spell. "This spell… well, it tires me. It's pretty complicated to play something from your mind for others to see." She took a deep breath and held her palms before her. She spoke words in Latin that Jay figured were old, even for him, to completely understand. A projection type thing appeared above her hands. Then, a scene played out.

"Ely?" Lucie gasped when she saw her.

"No… this isn't her," Nico mumbled.

Everyone's eyes focused on the image before them as it played out. Their eyes were transfixed on the strange scene, taking it in with curiosity and surprise. When it finished, the light vanished and Rhea nearly passed out. She gripped the railing behind her and sat down. She looked exhausted from that magic. She clearly wasn't used to performing that kind of spell.

"That isn't the Elysia I know, but I think it _is_ her," Lessa mumbled.

"I agree with Lessa," Ellen mentioned. "She's probably bitter from being left there. I can understand that. Nobody wants to be left alone in a place like that for a year. I'm surprised she's even somewhat sane."

"It doesn't feel like the same person," Rhea muttered. "It doesn't feel like Elysia."

"I'm not really sure what to think," Percy said.

"Same, but I think it's safe to say it's worth our time to check it out," Jay mentioned. "For now, this goddess has peaked my interest. If it is her, which it might be, we should find her. If it isn't her, we can at least ask for her help, I would assume."

"Are you guys still sure you want me on this quest?" Adam asked. "I don't even know this girl, and Shaw at least is helpful…"

"It's already decided," Jay said. "It's too late to turn back now."

"Okay…" he muttered, completely unconvinced.

"So does anyone know where the shadow lands are?" Percy asked.

Nico sighed before answering, "In my father's realm. It's been referred to as the shadow lands before, but it's more commonly called the Underworld. I believe, though…"

"We're going to Tartarus, aren't we?" Jay asked, though he knew the answer.

"Yes, we are. When Elysia was killed, and I remember that moment completely, an explosion occurred. When gods die, their immortal essence is weakened. That last burst of power was most likely from Chaos. It was obviously what caused our memory lapse. Chaos knew that the gods would try to have us regain our memories before sending a search party out, so it bought her time to find Elysia in Tartarus and kill her. Nothing's definite, but this is what I think is most likely to have happened."

Jay leaned back on the cool stone railing. "That makes sense. For a while, I was wondering if Elysia took our memories to make it so we wouldn't go after her. Wait… hold on. You remember the entire thing clearly?" Jay asked, it now dawning on him that Nico remembered it all.

"What happened?" Lucie asked.

"Chaos and Elysia were dueling near a cliff. Both had some seriously close calls, but Elysia was almost thrown over the edge. She was dangling by Chaos' neck. She pulled them both over, and she stabbed Chaos' heart… but Chaos stabbed hers. After that, a huge explosion happened, and we all were blasted back and woke up with no memory."

Jay tried to picture that in his head. Flashes of memories danced before his eyes. He saw a lot of blood and ichor. He saw Elysia giving him a look of pain and sadness before dragging Chaos with her down the cliff.

He remembered the sensation of seemingly slow motion running. He remembered screaming her name, and finally making it to the cliff edge to see Elysia stabbing Chaos in the heart and being stabbed in the same place by Chaos. He remembered being blasted back over fifty feet, then… it just ends.

Suddenly, his mood went down. She sacrificed herself for the better of others. It was nothing he wouldn't expect from the goddess of Elysium, but it pained him that she ended up dying in the process. It wasn't fair that she'd lived three human lives and ended up going to Tartarus. She deserved peace and happiness.

"Guys… I think we should go to our cabins tonight. We need sleep if we're going to Tartarus."

"Yeah, agreed. Can we just shadow travel back now?" Percy asked, frowning as he did.

"I feel really lightheaded," Rhea said. "I won't be able to perform any magic unless I rest." As she said this, she blinked a few times, as if she were trying to wake herself up. Her head drooped. "Damn, I hate that spell…" she muttered.

"She's definitely over exerted her magic," Adam said. "Performing spells that aren't in our natural abilities exhaust us. Rhea is better at combat magic and concealment. Not projection and imaging. I'm best at tracking and transportation."

"That's good," Jay said. "We should all get going."

Everyone stood in a circle, even the half conscious Rhea, and held hands. Both Nico and Jay worked together to imagine Camp Half Blood. Everyone felt the shadows increase around them and disperse. When they opened their eyes, they stood before the Big House. They all went to their cabins.

…

Shaw was exhausted when her head hit the pillow in the comfortable Artemis cabin. It was time she finally got more sleep. Maybe her dreams wouldn't be as bad this time. Hopefully, no monsters would come out and attack her brother and the strange girl, who possibly was Elysia, the missing goddess of Elysium.

When her dream came, it started off in the middle of a conversation.

"_What can I call you for now?" Shawn asked as they walked into more nothingness._

"_You wish to call me something now? Call me whatever you please," she scoffed. "It's not like I care what you have to think."_

"_You know, for a goddess, you're nothing that I expected," Shawn said. "Before you reduce me to ash, I mean it in a good way. You're fearless."_

_She looked away to the ground. "No, I'm not fearless. There's only one thing I fear left in this world."_

"_What might that be?"_

"_It isn't any of your concern," she said._

_Shawn grabbed her hand and stopped walking. "You're Elysia, the goddess of Elysium, aren't you?" He moved to look at her face. His gaze wasn't accusatory. It was a strange look on his face._

"_I've been told that before. I will not tell you if I'm her or not."_

"_I'm calling you Elysia."_

"_Don't."_

"_You told me to call you whatever I like. I'll call you Elysia. You have to be her, you just have to be."_

"_If I am Elysia, I wouldn't even contemplate joining Chaos."_

"_Are you saying you have?"_

"_I don't believe I said that," she said, pulling her hand away from his._

"_You don't ever give straight answers. It's because you're hiding behind pain, aren't you? You were left here. Nobody cared that you died and now are in Tartarus, part human, part god. You're somewhere in between. They left you to perish here without any regards to you."_

_Her eyes showed no emotion. "I don't have time for this pathetic mind game you're playing. It's not working."_

"_Elysia…" he said, grabbing her arm this time. "Just give me one straight answer."_

"_Yes."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_I'm nobody you need to know more about."_

"_You said you'd give me one straight answer," he pleaded._

"_And I did. You told me to give you one straight answer, and I said yes. As far as I'm concerned, 'yes' is as straight an answer as no," she said, tugging her arm from his grasp. "Let's go and find your friends."_

_They walked on, forward for a few more minutes before spotting two other people. "Cally! Zave!" Shawn yelled before running to join the really pretty girl and the tall and mysterious guy._

"_It's nice to know you're safe!" Cally said. "Who's that?" she asked with a hint of jealousy in her tone of voice._

"_I'm a goddess. That's all you need to know," she said. "But why are you trying to revive Chaos?" she demanded with a hard stare._

_Cally turned that glare to Shawn. "What the hell were you thinking, telling some random goddess our plans?" she nearly yelled._

"_I was curious how to gage her reaction. I thought she was Chaos for a while."_

"_I'm not," the goddess replied._

"_So then I figured she was the goddess of Elysium," Shawn said, smirking at her._

"_I am not her, either."_

"_Then who are you?" Zave asked, stepping forward to see her clearer._

"_I am nobody you need to know about. Now… explain to me why you want to reawaken Chaos. I already know your intention is to destroy the gods… but I want to know why."_

"_Just tell her, Zave… she's still a goddess, after all," Shawn said._

_Zave sat down with a smirk. He patted the ground next to him and said, "Take a seat, goddess. I'll tell you what you want to know."_

Shaw was awakened by Lucie's voice. "Wake up! It's time for breakfast. Today's the day we set out."

What a long day it would be.

* * *

><p><em>I've been very productive today. I felt like updating again because I've gotten so much done on this story. Thanks to my reviewers! You guys are amazing. In other news... I'm getting closer to 200 reviews. This makes me super happy! I have all of you to thank for it. I never dreamed that I'd reach 200 hundred reviews on my actual first Percy Jackson fic. Thank you all!<em>

_Question time._

_1) What do you think of the goddess? (Not if she's Elysia or not.)_

_2) What are you most curious about?_

_3) Who's your favorite OC?_

_Thanks again for all your reviews... but to be clear, I still want plenty more! xD_


	25. Part Two: Chapter IV

**Part Two: Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero**

Chapter IV

Once everyone was gathered, they met in the mess hall for breakfast. They scraped part of their food and burnt it as an offering to the gods, and convened at one table. They were up hours before anyone else. Jay was acting a bit weird, according to Lucie.

"Jay, why are you acting weird?"

"Um… I won't be able to hide it any longer…"

"Hide what?"

"Guys… we're kind of gods."

It would have been hilarious to look at the looks on their faces if they it hadn't worried Jay that he lied to all of them.

"What?" Lessa asked, staring at him like he was insane.

"Hecate gave me a potion to make us temporary gods. She told me that none of our bodies would be able to handle Tartarus for long. Don't worry… it won't last or anything. It will fade once we leave the Underworld. It would be pointless to eat your breakfast. You won't taste anything. Hecate gave me nectar and ambrosia last night in the Big House. Chiron's watching it. We should go there."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Percy asked.

"Hecate told me not to. She wanted me to keep it a secret, but when you wouldn't taste anything in your food… I figured you'd find out something was different…"

"I knew about it, too," Rhea said. "My mom told me."

"We can eat as much as we want without burning up," Jay said.

Surprisingly, nobody was too mad about Jay and Rhea not telling them anything. They went to the Big House instead to eat their breakfast. The endless supply of nectar and ambrosia was amazing. Jay just kept drinking it and eating it. It tasted like his favorite pasta that his dad used to make for him.

But that was before the Chaos stuff happened. He decided to stay year round at camp then, because it was the best option for him to do. He did miss his dad, but his dad wasn't too lonely. His dad was getting married to a really nice woman he met at work.

He figured he should IM his dad and let him know that he was going on a quest, but he didn't want him to worry.

Everyone ate in silence.

When they finished, Shaw stood up and said, "I have something to say. I had a dream last night. My brother wants to revive Chaos."

Silence. Nobody was sure what they were supposed to say. _Hey, sorry… I know your brother is now our enemy and all, but we'll go easy on him…_ oh, yeah. That'll work. If he's going to put up a fight to get to the girl, then… that'll be an issue.

"And I think the goddess with him is going to join… Chaos," Shaw said, trembling. "If that's Elysia, we're doomed!"

"Elysia would never join Chaos!" Lucie said in shock. "She wouldn't. No matter how angry she was at us… she'd never do that…"

Jay swallowed the lump in his throat. As much as he didn't want to say what he was about to, he had to say it. "Guys… even if it is Elysia, we must attack her. We're the equivalent of gods now, too. We would stand a chance. We can't risk giving Chaos any powerful allies."

Boy, did he feel like a jerk.

"How can you say that?" Lucie asked in dismay. "She's not even in her right mind!"

"She's still powerful, and if it comes between sacrificing her to save the world or letting her live and Chaos destroying the gods… I know that Elysia would rather herself be sacrificed if she were thinking clearly. For now, we don't need to think about it. I guess we just go to the Underworld now. We don't need to pack any food, water, or anything."

"Bring weapons," Chiron ordered. "Just because you're gods now doesn't meant that you can take them bare handed."

Everyone nodded. The Hunters double checked that their enchanted bows and quivers were with them. Percy knew Riptide was in his pocket. Nico knew his sword was disguised as the ring on his finger. Lucie knew she had Phantasma as her headband. Adam knew his wand was with him. Lessa had her bow and quiver. Jay had his sword.

Everyone was ready to go. "Bye, Chiron," Percy said.

Jay and Nico used their shadow travelling abilities to get them to the Underworld. Jay had been there once with Nico when they were looking for Elysia. They were so close, but they hadn't even considered Tartarus. "Guys, follow me," Nico said.

Lessa hated this. She felt so… enclosed. She wanted open air. This place only smelled of death and sadness. They wandered through the Fields of Asphodel. The people didn't even look like anything more than shadows of themselves. They tried to talk, but nobody could understand what they were saying, except maybe Nico.

The walk was sad.

And then, Lessa realized that this was her fate if she were to die and Elysium were to fall. There would be nothing but the sad emptiness her eyes rested on.

She was pretty happy when they finally made it through that depressing field. From a distance, she saw Elysium, and her breath was taken away. It was like a paradise in this sad place. Inside it, in a smaller area, was the Isles of the Blest. Despite its gorgeous beauty and tranquility, something was utterly wrong within it. The people inside it looked sad, like they were mourning. Nonetheless, it still appeared more cheerful than the rest of the Underworld. Lessa decided that Elysium was definitely where she wanted to end up when she died, or… if. She still hoped to take her father's place as god of the Wild.

She wouldn't have to worry about death. She could be in a paradise without having to die first. It would be nice. But first… she had to prove she was a hero worthy of eternal life. She had to rescue the people in Elysium and the Isles of the Blest. She had to, it was part of her duty and a way to repay those deserving of happiness in the afterlife that were without the opportunities she was given.

They kept going, and Lessa realized there was a huge palace before her. It looked like a darker version of Olympus, just on a smaller scale. It was black obsidian, but it looked really nice and sleek. Lessa realized that _that's_ where Elysia should be living. That's where she belonged. She smiled. They would get her back. She would get her eternal happiness after dying three times.

Nico lead them past the palace, though. It got darker the farther away they got from the palace. Soon, it was practically impossible for Lessa and the others (who weren't naturally comfortable in the darkness) couldn't see. There was a giant chasm before them, and everyone's eyes were slightly adjusted by then. "This is the dangerous part. Rhea or Adam?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Which one of you knows a good cushioning spell?"

"I do," Adam said.

"Good. Cast it when I tell you to, alright? We're going in."

Everyone linked hands and kept walking, straight to the seemingly bottomless pit. Suddenly, they all free fell.

It got darker and darker before it was solid black they were seeing. They couldn't even really see each other. Surprisingly, nobody felt scared, but they did receive a strange feeling they all got in the pits of their stomachs. "NOW!" Nico yelled after they'd been falling for two minutes.

Adam pulled out his wand and performed the spell. The light from the spell should have illuminated walls or something or even ground, but there wasn't anything but darkness. When they all collided with the ground, it was like landing on a pillow of air before being set down.

"It's so dark," Lucie murmured.

"This is the place… this is where my brother really is…" Shaw mumbled.

"We should wait here," Jay said. "I imagine that the longer we're in here, the more our eyes will pick up on light."

"Jay's right," Nico said. "Soon, we should be seeing each other's auras."

"What?" Ellen said.

"Auras?" Percy asked.

It was Shaw who answered. "It's to show you, basically, how much time you have left. We'll be able to see our aura in this darkness. It's how we'll be able to see anything at all. It explains why I could see the auras in my dream, remember?"

"I guess that makes sense," Lucie murmured.

"Is it weird that I already feel weaker?" Lessa asked.

"Well you are the daughter of Pan," Percy said. "You don't thrive in darkness."

"Yeah…" she agreed.

…

"So that's all? That's why you want revenge on the gods?" the goddess laughed. "That's just _sad._ I'm sorry the demigods screwed with you for being a child of Kronos, but… really? It's pathetic. The gods have done better than the titans. I don't think Chaos would know how to run a world full of humans. She is a primordial deity. She was around long before humans and gods even existed."

"How dare you laugh at me?" Zave asked, pretty ticked off. "What have the gods ever done for you?"

The goddess' face turned to a frown. "Nothing," she replied. "They did nothing for me."

"Then why are you siding with them? Why not make your own decisions?" he asked a bit softer than last time.

"It's just… they're my family. I should side where I belong."

"Join us, and you get away from it all. You get to be free from the gods and do as you please! All we ask is that you accompany us to find Chaos."

She seemed to think about it. "Give me time to decide. Wander wherever you please. I will find you when I've made up my mind."

With that, she ran away, into the darkness.

"She'll be back," Cally said. "And she's perfect for Chaos."

"We'll see about that," Zave said. "But I think it may work out."

"I hope so. I had to go through all that trouble to find her," Shawn said smugly. "Anyways, I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted from all the running around and stuff."

"Same," Zavion muttered. "Night."

Cally stood. "I'll keep watch for monsters."

…

"This is weird," Percy said, staring at the light around him. His aura was a nice sea blue.

"I agree," Lucie said, staring at the light blue silvery glow around her.

"Nico, yours is so dark!" Lessa said. Nico's was a dark grey.

"So is Jay's," Rhea also commented. Jay's was roughly the same shade as Nico's.

"I'm going to assume the darker your aura is, the easier it is to survive, right?" Ellen said. "You are more at home than we are. Our lights will burn out quicker than yours."

"Smart," Nico said. "I don't really know for sure, though."

"Lucie…" Jay said. She, Lessa, Ellen, and Shaw all had roughly the same shade. Theirs were extremely bright. "I'm worried about all of you. Yours are the lightest auras… It'll be easiest for you guys to fade away than the rest of us."

They nodded. "Shouldn't we get going?" Lessa asked.

"Yes, I suppose we should," Jay answered. "I don't know where to lead you all, though." Jay was unsure about everything. How was he supposed to find an almost dead goddess in this place? It was nothing but darkness. But he could feel a presence. He felt… "Monster!" he yelled.

This monster was enormous. Jay wasn't even sure what it was. It was probably an old drakon. He'd heard tales of them, but never actually seen one. He didn't really ever want to, but… it wasn't like he could help it. Everyone prepared to attack.

The Hunters shot arrows at it. It roared and spat acid towards Jay. Honestly, he hadn't dodged quickly enough, but he didn't feel any pain when the acid splashed against his leg. He ran and climbed it as best he could while it writhed around.

Percy had witnessed how Clarisse took down a drakon with his own eyes. But how were they supposed to kill something that was already in Tartarus?

With all the strength he had, which actually was a lot, given he was a god, he charged the writhing drakon. He wasn't far behind Jay, but he didn't try to climb. When he had seen Clarisse take down the drakon, she had done it with her electric spear. Obviously there was no electric spear just laying around in Tartarus, so that was out of the question. Percy randomly attacked it, but found that it didn't have the scaly armor it used to. He didn't know what Clarisse did with it afterwards, but it made this thing vulnerable.

Jay was on top of the large drakon, holding on as best as he could while this thing tossed him around. He'd never ridden a mechanical bull before, but he imagined it would be something like what he was experiencing on the head of the drakon. Mustering up all the strength he had, he brought his sword in front of him and stabbed the thing in its head, right on top.

As the snake flung around, slowly sinking lower, Jay decided he'd just jump off. He was roughly two stories high, but he did it anyway.

He landed on his feet with no pain. "Jeez, Jay, way to test your new godly powers," Percy joked as he cracked a smile.

"The rest of us would have helped if you needed it," Rhea said. "But you didn't, so… wow. That was awesome, Jay."

Jay felt weird getting praise from her, since he used to like her in the past. "Um… thanks," he said. "Now that the drakon's taken care of, why don't we try to find Elysia?"

"Where should we look?" Rhea muttered. "It's not like any of us know how to find her…"

"That's true," Adam chimed in. "I might be able to do a location spell if anyone had anything of hers with them…"

"I have her iPod," Lucie said, digging around. "Will that work?"

"Maybe," Adam answered.

Once Lucie heard that answer, she found her sister's iPod in her backpack. "Here," she said as she handed it to Adam.

"It's enchanted," Adam murmured. "Rhea, this seems like your doing."

"I believe it was. It was a communications device, I think. When I woke up, I had an enchanted iPod just like this one."

"Interesting," Adam said. "Now, let's see…"

Gently holding the iPod, he took out his wand. He murmured some spell and pointed his wand towards the center of the blank screen. It glowed green and sprouted mechanical legs. He dropped it and it began to move forward.

"It's like one of Hephaestus' spiders," Percy mentioned. "Will it lead us to her?"

Adam nodded. "It most certainly will. We just have to follow it."

* * *

><p><em>I think you all know it's not going to simply be that easy. Not because it never is in my stories, but because this is only the fourth chapter! Anyways... the identity of the goddess is somewhat revealed in the next chapter, so look forward to that!<em>

_For all you Americans (which is most of you, I imagine), I want to wish you a happy Independence day! I love this holiday, it's probably my favorite! (Fireworks=AWESOME). Think of this as a gift of some sorts._

_Time for some questions!_

_1) What do you think the goddess is going to do?_

_2) How did you like the godly fight scene?_

_3) What's your favorite part of this chapter?_

_Now, I want to say that I love you all, but could you please drop reviews from time to time to let me know you're still reading? There are people who review frequently, such as Lady Cougar-Trombone, Redwolf11, and usually Sonofthetrigod. I want to thank you three for being the best reviewers a writer could ask for. Thank you for always taking time to drop a review, even when you're in a hurry. It means a LOT to me that you do. As for the rest of you, I LOVE you too, but can you show me a bit of love in return? Please and thank you. :) You all are awesome._

_Boy, that was a long paragraph. It's over and done with. xD_

_Have a rockin' 4th of July, peeps!_


	26. Part Two: Chapter V

**Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero**

Chapter V

Who knows how long it was before the strange goddess appeared before the small group of half-bloods. "I've made my decision."

"What is it?" Zave asked.

With a smirk upon her face, the goddess said, "I'll join you. Do you have any idea where Chaos is, or do you need my help?"

"We'll need your help, I'm afraid," Zave said. "Welcome to our group." He stood and offered her a hand. With a suspicious look, she took it. "My real name is Zavion Beckner."

"You can call me Lost."

Zave rose an eyebrow. "Lost?"

"Yes," she answered. "That seems to be a fitting name."

Cally stood like it was a bother to her. "Look, _Lost, _I'm Calliope Oxentenko. You will only call me Calliope." She didn't offer a hand, but she did glare at her before sitting back down.

Shawn stood. "Welcome to the group. It's nice to finally be able to call you something, Lost," he said, offering her a hand. "And don't mind Cally. She's a snobby daughter of Phobos."

"Shut up, gearhead," she muttered. "At least my dad is the god of fear or something. Not forges."

"You love me, you know it," Shawn joked. "Are you ready to tell us more about you?"

"No, I have nothing to share," Lost answered quickly. "Except that I came here in the seventeenth century. What year was it when you came in?"

"2012."

"So I've really been in here that long. It felt like days…" she muttered. "Anyways, I think you all should rest. I'll stand guard."

"Nu uh," Cally said. "It's Shawn's turn to stand guard. I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you."

The goddess sighed. "I don't need to sleep, mortal. And the same goes for you. I don't trust you." Lost glared at Calliope before sitting down on the floor of Tartarus.

It was probably hours later when Lost "woke up." She hadn't really been sleeping, per say, but she was resting. Her powers were definitely growing weaker. She would only have so much time before her body would expire. The "resting" time was getting longer and deeper every time. _I have to hurry,_ she thought idly.

She stood and stretched, only to find that their guard had fallen asleep without waking up anyone else. Out loud, she huffed a sigh. "Damn it," she muttered.

In the darkness, she felt a bad feeling creep up. She knew that feeling. It was the feeling that a monster was coming. Instantly, she whipped out her bow and arrow. A silver arrow was knocked and aimed.

Her radar eyes had grown used to the infinite blackness of the hell she was in. Recently, she hadn't looked at it as hell so much as a blanket. Her essence had gotten used to the darkness, almost felt safe within it. As her energy drained, she felt more relaxed, as if the dark was luring her to sleep with a lullaby. Perhaps that's what Tartarus was to the ones who weren't meant to be there. She knew very well that she wasn't meant to go to Tartarus. She wasn't fully sure how she ended up there.

At least until she found out she was immortal.

As she pondered that, Lost made sure that the monster presence she felt was just her being a tad paranoid. That's when she noticed something scurrying around in the darkness. From her knowledge of Tartarus, there were no species as small as this one that ever went here. It was a metallic spider, almost. It went to stop right at Lost's feet.

"What is this?" she asked aloud, picking up the thing. She honestly had no idea what it was, or what it did. Looking at it, her head hurt. She threw the thing to the ground and stomped on it. "What was that?" she asked aloud again, burying her face in her hands.

Next to her, she heard someone stirring. "Ugh… what are you doin'?" Shawn asked sleepily.

"Nothing," she whispered. "But I have a bad feeling monsters are coming. I can sense their presence near us." Her eyes widened as she recognized the feeling. "Medusa!" she gasped.

If there was any drowsiness in Shawn's eyes before, it was gone now. Everyone knew Medusa was capable of even turning immortals into stone… the last thing they needed was one of their few companions to be turned into stone.

Shawn woke up the others. "Medusa's near. We need to get moving quickly."

"And just how would you know?" Calliope said when she woke.

"Lost said she could sense it."

"How do we really know that it's her?" she asked again, narrowing her eyes at Lost.

"Just listen to her!" Shawn said, rolling his eyes at his friend. "If you want to stay behind and wait for evidence, be my guest. I think we're getting the heck out of here."

Everyone gathered up their things and began to move. Lost didn't have anything, but she grabbed some of the things that were around her. Once everything was gathered, they ran behind Lost, since she was the only one who could sense the presence of monster in Tartarus. Even Calliope followed without question. They all stayed rather quiet so they wouldn't attract attention.

…

The metallic spider they had been following was crushed. "Darn… clearly someone doesn't want the goddess of Elysium found. I don't know if I can repair it," Adam murmured.

"What if it's Elysia?" Jay piped in.

"Maybe…" Adam said, staring at the smashed screen.

"Let me take a look at it," Shaw said. When people gave her strange looks, she rolled her eyes and said, "I may be a hunter, but I'm also the daughter of Hephaestus!"

Adam handed it to her, feeling a bit stupid that he hadn't remembered that. "Here," he sighed.

She tinkered around with it for a few minutes before sighing and murmuring, "It's screen is completely destroyed. I've managed to fix the wiring so it can turn on, at least, but I don't know if the magic will still work. That's your forte," she said before returning the metallic iPod spider.

"We can hope," Adam said as he attempted the spell.

"No luck?" Percy asked, watching nothing happen in the son of Circe's palm.

"Nope."

"Hey, guys… doesn't it look like a camp was set up here?" Rhea asked as her gaze swept over the ground they were near. "There's remnants of a fire."

"What do you mean?" Lucie asked, bending down towards the cinders.

"No way…" murmured Ellen.

"Could Elysia have been the one who crushed the device?" Lessa wondered aloud.

Nico wondered that too. "Maybe she's being held captive?" he suggested as he glanced at the miniature camp. "Whoever has her could have destroyed it."

"This is weird," Percy said blatantly. "Why would there be a camp here?"

"Guys… what if my brother was here with the strange goddess? He is a child of Hephaestus. Maybe he has the fire ability. He ran off before we got to know our powers."

"That's supposed to be extremely rare," Ellen chimed in. "It's more likely the goddess is the one who started the fire. Unless Shawn came down here prepared, which he didn't from what you told us so far. While we acknowledge it could be them, we have no idea where to go from here."

"That's true. We only know it's unlikely they went where we just came from… other than that, there doesn't seem to be a way to track them…" Jay said with dismay. He hadn't even really been in Tartarus that long, and he already was sick of the place.

"Guys… it seems like whoever we're following is heading to a specific place. I just get this feeling that… they know where Chaos is."

"And why is that?" Nico asked Ellen.

"I'm not sure. But we know they're after Chaos, and whoever we're following, Elysia and whoever else, has been heading steadily in that direction," the daughter of Athena said while pointing to her right. "If that goddess is Elysia, then we're on a path that will lead us directly to Chaos, I think. Well, if she decided to join your brother, Shaw. If it's not that goddess we're following, the path is completely unknown."

"I say we continue in this direction," Jay said, looking where Ellen had pointed. "It's the direction the spider was going, in the very least. Maybe she continued this way."

"Well, we can only hope…" Lucie murmured to herself as she took the lead of the group.

Hours and hours passed, or what they assumed were hours, without anything. They couldn't even be sure they were heading in the correct direction. Without their spider guide, they were lost beyond belief. They knew that eventually, they'd start walking in circles. Not like they'd be able to tell, but still… it would be infuriating to continuously search with no result.

But they kept on walking. They knew that Elysia didn't have much time.

…

Lost was beginning to grow weary. Chaos' presence was getting stronger… therefore, they were getting closer. It was rather hard for Lost to not sense the disturbing presence in the air. She was surprised that the mortals she was travelling with didn't notice it, it was so strong. But she kept going, because she needed to do this. She simply had to.

"Can we stop for a while?" Shawn asked, clearly stopping behind Lost.

Zavion said, "Guys, we need to keep going. Chaos isn't too far away, I'm sure."

So the son of Kronos at least had some sense of power. "You weakling humans," Lost murmured. Even when she thought she was a mortal, she wouldn't have stopped at anything to get what she wanted. These humans were totally different than she was.

Then again, Lost hadn't had the easiest human life. She never really dwelled on it, but she understood that was why she was the way she was. Nothing would get in her way after all that she had been through. All those obstacles had fueled her fire. After overcoming what she had, she wasn't going to let a few stupid things get in her way.

That's why these humans seemed utterly useless. They alone would never bring back Chaos from oblivion. If anything, Chaos would suck their life force. This group of half-bloods would probably be more use to her that way.

Lost sighed. "Get up, idiots. You're never going to find Chaos like that. Just keep walking." They all looked at her with a weird look. "Do it before I incinerate you."

And they stood. Not even Calliope, who has an extremely smart mouth, said anything. They followed the lead of the mysterious goddess without any question or opposition.

…

"We'll never find her without our device," complained Lessa. "This could take time; time we really don't have. This is hopeless."

"Jeez, Lessa, don't get so down just yet," Ellen remarked. "We'll find her. If we don't… well, I don't want to die and go to the Fields of Asphodel. That's just a sad fate…"

"Guys, shut up. Don't you feel it?" Adam asked, closing his eyes.

"What do you feel?" Ellen replied.

"Shh," Nico hushed. His eyes, too, were closed.

Those who were not sensitive to dark magic couldn't feel what the others could. Lessa, Lucie, Ellen, Shaw, and Percy stared at them with of fear and uncertainty. They didn't understand what was going on.

"What… what is it that I'm feeling?" Jay asked hesitantly.

It was Rhea who answered. "This is dark magic. Somebody's performing magic from before my mother's time… before Greece's time, even. There are only a few that would know magic this old: those handpicked by my mother, and those who lived during that time. In other words, it's most likely Chaos," she finished.

"Should we follow it, then?" Lucie asked with a frown.

"We don't know for sure Chaos has her," Jay said. "But we also have no leads, either."

"That brings us to a decision," Nico murmured. "Since you seem torn, Jay, I say we look to Percy's lead…"

"Guys, we don't want to go straight to Chaos. If she doesn't end up having Elysia, then we could just end up leading ourselves into a trap. Didn't the prophecy say something about losing someone to Chaos' gaze?"

"That is a good point," Lessa said. Others agreed, some didn't. Some were just still torn.

"We don't have anything to go on. If we all attack Chaos at once, we would at least weaken her. She should be pretty weak by now, right?" Adam suggested. "It may be risky, but if we can delay her in any way, shouldn't we do that?"

An idea came to Jay's mind. What would happen if they split up? There had to be a reason why nine people were meant for this quest. It wasn't just a quest… it was a search and rescue. If they stuck around as one big group, they wouldn't get anywhere in finding her. Tartarus was huge, and they needed to focus on that.

Traditionally, Greek quests were done with three people. There were nine. That makes three groups of three…

"Guys, stop arguing. I know what we'll do. We'll split up and search in different places. Three groups of three. That has to be why there are so many people for just one quest. Greek quests are typically done with three people total, anyway. If we all stay together, it'll take us years to find her, years she doesn't have."

It seemed to dawn on both Percy and Nico at the same time. "That's why there are so many…" Percy said, mostly to himself.

"Percy, Nico, and I will lead one group each since Nico and I are good and the dark and Percy's a great leader. Ellen and Lucie will be with me. Adam and Shaw will be with Percy. Rhea and Lessa will be with Nico."

"Where do you want us to go?" Percy asked.

"Nico, I want you to go towards the dark magic. Percy, you should just head out that way and investigate to see if there's anything you can find. I'll keep heading in the direction the device was going."

"Nobody is going anywhere without these," Rhea said, tossing a small gold earring to everyone. "These are both trackers and magically enhanced walkie-talkies. They have no proximity limit. I brought them just in case we'd need them." Rhea put her own earring on her left ear. The guys watched as their earring turned to a clip-on. None of the guys complained about it being an earring, surprisingly.

Everyone said their goodbyes before looking towards their path with a mix of fear and anticipation. All of them were unsure about splitting up in such a dangerous place, but they all did know that they would never find her without going separate ways.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, so I have some serious apologizing to do. I'm terribly sorry that I haven't updated in about three months. In my defense, I was super busy, and... well, I had writer's block on this story. During the course of this month, I've been getting great ideas that really add more detail and more plot to this phase of the story. I've also been working on my writing and finding ways to improve it. There isn't much more to say other than I'm sorry for not even posting an author's note. I've also decided I'm going to update once every 2 weeks. If I miss it sometimes, it means I'm really busy. (Seriously, honors classes and extra curricular activities don't like to mix.)<em>

_For those of you interested, after I finish writing them, I'll be posting D. Gray-Man stories. I began them when I just couldn't get a single idea for this story, and I really like them, but I won't post them until I've finished writing them. I plan on doing this as my way of posting now. My only exception will be this story and the third part after this. I can't keep you all waiting any longer._

_I don't know if any of you bothered reading this, but I'll do it anyway._

_1. Do you have any more guesses on who the goddess is?_

_2. What do you think of their separation?_

_3. Would you want me to write side stories about Elysia's past lives?_

_Please drop a review to let me know you are still reading. _


	27. Part Two: Chapter VI

**Part Two: Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero**

Chapter VI

Nico was unsure of breaking up like they did. It very well could turn out bad for them, but at the same time, it made perfect sense. They would cover much more ground this way. They had no time to find her; therefore they were already on borrowed time.

He looked back to his two companions, Rhea and Lessa. Rhea looked almost jittery, while Lessa looked almost unfazed by the dark and dreary environment. Nico thought it was a little backwards, but Lessa couldn't feel the over powering dark magic the way Rhea and he could. On one hand, that made her more vulnerable if she were insensitive to it. On the other hand, it was probably better since her presence was slightly cheerful. He also knew this was her first quest. He didn't want it to be too terrible for her.

They kept walking, and walking. Rhea and Nico were both getting weary from the dark magic. Soon, Lessa was the one in the lead, but she looked to them with concern. "Guys, are you okay?" she asked, now twenty feet ahead of them.

"I'm fine," Rhea said stubbornly. "Just keep going that way, it's getting stronger."

"Guys…" she said hesitantly.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a long, reptilian tail whipped her legs, causing her to topple forward. Before anyone registered what had happened, Lessa screamed in agony as teeth sank into her leg. A thundering roar of a lion echoed in the darkness, and the bright blaze of fire danced in her peripheral vision.

"Lessa!" Rhea shrieked. With a swift movement, she took out her wand and cast a spell.

Nico pulled his stygian iron blade from its sheathe and glared at the chimera in front of him. He surged forward with anger in his eyes.

Together, they fought the chimera, but Lessa was losing her vision rapidly. A searing hot feeling coursed through her veins, making its way up to her heart from her leg. The chimera had let her go, but she was unable to move from her position on the ground. She may have had the blood of a god, but she didn't know how often gods were poisoned by chimeras.

Her mind became focused on the pain. Her whole body felt like a thousand knives made of fire were jabbing her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear anything but the unstable pounding of her weakening heart.

And then, as dark as everything had been beforehand, they grew to be the darkest of black.

…

Lucie stared at her wristwatch. The time ticked down, and she knew exactly what this time meant. She knew what it was, and she blinked her watery eyes away. It wouldn't help her if she began to feel sorry for herself, wish for better times, or wallow in misery. Her sister needed her.

That still was a weird thought to her. Since when had Elysia needed anyone? Now she was surrounded in darkness lost in an endless abyss, surviving by a thread. And there Lucie was, searching for her, just as lost in that same endless abyss, fighting to find her sister's thread and make it a rope, or maybe a net.

"You alright?" Jay asked Lucie.

She tensed. She didn't know he was that close to her, and she'd been too deep in thought. "I'm fine."

"Just tell him," Ellen murmured.

"Tell me what?" Jay asked, his gaze moving back and forth from each hunter.

Lucie sighed and glanced back to her wristwatch. "It's my sister's birthday today. She would have been nineteen by now."

"Wait, how many days has it been since we entered?" Jay asked.

"It's been three weeks, Jay."

Silence. Jay wasn't sure how to react to that. They had really been in Tartarus for three weeks already? It hadn't even felt like hours. He now realized that this was how gods felt. Time passed them by at the speed of light. To humans, it was a whole other thing.

"What day is it out there?" he asked suddenly.

"October 19, 2012."

He was too curious. "What time of day was Elysia born?"

"1:37 A.M. Why do you ask?" Lucie replied.

"Just curious, I guess. Let's keep moving," Jay suggested, eager for a topic change. "What kind of stuff was she into?"

"She loved anime," Ellen said nostalgically. "We would watch all kinds of it together. She especially loved Black Butler, D. Gray-Man, Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood… any you can name, really. Lucie, Lessa, Ely, and I would have sleep overs and we'd do nothing but watch anime."

"She also loved books. Her favorites were Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. She liked some other books, too, but her favorites have always been that trilogy. Sometimes, Ely would listen to Evanescence, Nickelback, even some Japanese music. She also liked the band All Time Low, if I recall," Lucie said absently. Her mind was going back to those sleepovers she used to have. Oh, how she missed the times that were easy, simple… no Greek gods to worry about, no monsters, just the bliss of dreaming.

"Elysia was such a geek for adventure. Anything that had to do with anything mysterious, magical, or mythological, she was obsessed with. I find it a bit ironic," Ellen mentioned, "that she's one of them."

Silence unfolded between the trio. None of them were sure of what to say, so they said nothing. They kept walking on in silence.

Out of nowhere, a sword touched Lucie's throat.

She instantly froze. "Who are you? What do you want?" she asked.

From her peripheral vision, she could see Jay and Ellen both in similar positions.

"That is for me to know and you to guess," said a menacing voice. A person wearing a mask stepped forward. Lucie barely had time to register that the body looked vaguely female before something very hard hit the back of her neck, and she lost all consciousness.

…

Percy was beginning to hear something-he wasn't sure what-following them. They had been from the rest of the group for a while now and he did think it was weird nothing had attacked them. He figured they'd all be dead meat when they went different ways.

Surprisingly, nothing had happened, but now… well, something was happening.

Both his companions also noticed the sounds. It was pretty hard to ignore. Every time one of them turned around, though, it would suddenly stop, and there would be nothing but the empty darkness to greet them. If Percy was being honest, it was actually starting to annoy him. If there was an enemy out there to get him, shouldn't it at least stand up and fight?

He hated feeling like he was being manipulated, watched. If the pursuer would only fight, he could feel like he was in control. There was too much at stake for Percy to not want to just fight. Adam and Shaw were starting to get nervous, no doubt about it.

Suddenly, Percy longed for Annabeth's company and advice. It was a no-brainer that he would miss her, but this was different. Something about this place was too strange for him to understand. Now, he didn't even have Nico or Jay or Rhea to explain how things worked down here. Sure, they were just a call away, but that call seemed like it was very, very far out of reach. Plus, his friends were counting on him to be a leader down here… he couldn't let them down.

He kept walking, despite the weird scratching sounds he was hearing.

It must have gone on like that for a few more minutes (or what felt like minutes to him) before those noises stopped altogether. It didn't feel like their stalker had left, though. More like a cat ready to pounce.

Percy wasn't the only one who sensed it. The three of them all began to run together. They all ran at their fastest pace.

And then he heard it. The song was beautiful, it sounded like his mom's homemade blue chocolate chip cookies had magically turned into song. It seemed as if his feet had their own mind; they were walking towards the beautiful music at a pretty fast pace.

He envisioned everything he had ever loved. His mind played his craziest dreams… Annabeth as an adult with a wedding ring on her finger and her blonde hair in her face as she glanced at blueprints with her cute thinking face. His mom walked into the room holding a baby, gushing over her, yes, her, and about how beautiful she was. Poseidon was there smiling down at the child with the same warm smile Percy knew he radiated. Everyone he loved was safe from everything. He didn't have to see it to know.

"PERCY!" yelled a voice.

Percy frowned in distaste. Whoever was causing that racket was getting in the way of his dream. It was a very nice dream. Probably the perfected version of any dream he'd ever had. It seemed like the sun was emitting a warm glow on everything.

"PERCY!"

_Go away,_ he thought. It was like an annoying fly. It was disturbing the peace.

"PERCY!"

There was a hand on his shoulder now. He instinctively grabbed it and flipped whoever it was. In his vision, he didn't really see it.

"Damn it, Percy! Wake UP!" yelled that same voice.

Someone slapped his face. He blinked, and for a moment, he was blinded in darkness. The perfect image returned, much to his happiness, but now he was confused. Which had been the illusion, the darkness or the sun?

Then he was on the ground. A hard fist collided with his head, and the black image returned… only this time, it stayed.

Once his eyes got used to the darkness, he realized what had happened, or at least had a guess. And then he realized he couldn't hear anything… not even his own breathing.

Then, like a whisper in the mind, he heard, "Are you okay now? You had us worried."

A face came into view, and he knew it was Adam. The thoughts of the quest returned to his mind, and he felt like an idiot for falling for someone's sorcery.

Since he didn't get how the magic worked, he nodded.

Adam stood up and offered him a hand. Shaw looked at Percy with concern, maybe even a little fear. They began to walk, and Percy followed closely.

Once they had been walking for a while, Adam took out his wand and waved it in Percy and Shaw's direction.

Suddenly, he could hear again. "Whoa," he said. "What happened?"

Adam sighed and glanced at him. "Sirens."

"What?" he exclaimed in response.

"You're lucky you're alive. Once I had gotten Shaw out of the way, you nearly were at their beak. I hope you feel wiser so you at least took something positive from that near death experience you don't even remember." He sounded a little angry, though Percy wasn't sure why.

"I don't… not really. It just reminded me that fairytales are just illusions."

"We've have to hurry. There are other creatures who are still after us."

With a sigh, Percy nodded and took the lead, feeling ashamed of his lapse of judgment.

…

"Hurry it up, you slow humans. I'll abandon you down here!" Lost yelled to her group. The only person who could keep up with her was Zavion, but that was no surprise. He was the only demi-titan in the group. She had come to admire his strength… he was a formidable leader. He was the only person left alive she could say she respected.

"You know, when you get angry, you have an accent. I can't place it very well, but I know it's European," Zave said to her, staring her in the eyes.

She leaned in a little closer and said, "Europe was a very diverse place. It's fairly obvious I'm from there… you know the heart of Western Civilization was there at the time I came here. You are quite sharp, Zave." With one last look to him, she turned on her heels and trudged on ahead. "Just see if you can figure it out."

And Zave wanted to figure her out… there was something unique about her that he couldn't place. If she hadn't been a goddess, he might have tried to make a move on her. Zavion needed to know more about her. It was torture to try and guess her past all the time. She was a mystery, and he loved mysteries. As far as he could remember, he always had.

Lost would be the biggest mystery of all, and he was bound to figure it out.

Zave shook his head as if to clear it before following her. There would be time for things like that after Chaos was awakened.

After a while, Calliope was begging to stop and rest. Shawn agreed hesitantly, not wanting to spike Lost's anger too much. She had quite the short temper.

"_Vy idioty! Pochemu mne tratʹ moye vremya s vami?!"_she yelled.

"Whoa, what language was that?" Shawn asked with wide eyes.

"It had to have been something ancient," Calliope muttered, staring at Lost with anger.

"I may be a Greek goddess, but I can assure you, you would know if the language I spoke was Greek or Latin. So therefore, it is not."

"It didn't sound Asian," Shawn whispered to Calliope.

"Don't act like imbeciles," she ordered. Now, her accent was coming out rather strong. "It does not matter what I said. Rest, since you clearly need it. I shall stand guard," Lost commanded with her eyes looking into the distance from the way they came.

After a while, the demigods were asleep. Lost sat down near the fire and tried to calm her busy mind.

Rustling next to her told her that Zavion wasn't asleep. Her suspicions were confirmed when he sat up. "Lost, what is your real name?" he asked out of nowhere.

She looked away from his face. "I do not wish to tell it to anyone. Not you, not _them_, or even the world. I wish I could forget it all. I wish I did not know my name."

"How could someone as pretty as you hate your name? It can't be that bad," Zave said with a sly smile.

Lost turned away from him, back towards the blazing embers. "You don't know who I am, Zave. Maybe if you did, you wouldn't think I was beautiful or worthy of love. I am despicable." He stifled a laugh. She turned to him with fire in her eyes. "What's so amusing?"

"Don't you see that 'despicable' is in the eye of the beholder? All the demigods thought Luke was despicable for turning to my father for help… I don't see him as despicable. He wanted change. Isn't that what we all crave anyway? Some might say that bringing Chaos back is despicable, but there are always two sides to every story. There are always good and bad in all of us, even the gods."

Lost looked at him with amazement. She'd never heard a human speak such true and wise words before in her entire time on Earth or Tartarus. "Thank you," she whispered. "But now is not the time. Perhaps later, when I feel a bit more comfortable with it. Your words are words of truth and much wisdom. You are probably the smartest mortal I've ever met. You are worthy of much more than you're getting, son of Kronos. You are nothing like your father."

"Have you met him?" Zave asked wistfully, longingly.

Lost stiffened. "Once. It was quite a long time ago, Zavion. That is a story for another time."

"Haven't you ever tried living in the moment, and stop putting things on hold?" he asked her, grabbing her hand.

"You don't understand. Everything must happen at the opportune moment, the moment it's meant to happen. If I put something off, it's because I mean to."

"Okay," Zavion said, thinking over the answer. "Why don't you rest?"

They shared a look before Lost nodded and laid down on the ground next to him.

* * *

><p><em>There you have it, people. I came through on my promise. Also, let's just pretend that the unexpected event at the end of The Mark of Athena never happened... that's why Percy's still clueless about Tartarus, okay? ;) Anyway, I love all my readers, especially those who are still reading. It means a lot to me, trust me. Also, MY WRITER'S BLOCK IS GONE! I have my good friend (who is Lessa in this story) to thank for it, too. Also, the birthday is a tribute to my other good friend who doesn't read Percy Jackson, but she's a great friend nonetheless. So I gave Elysia the same birthday, with a few tweaks, since Elysia's older than me...<em>

_Anywho. Question time._

_1) What do you think will happen to Lessa?_

_2) Who do you think captured Lucie, Ellen, and Jay?_

_3) Are there any LostxZavion fans out there? To be honest, this was a last minute random thing I did. :P (Zavost? Lostavion?)  
><em>

_Btw, I apologize. Looking back, this is a few cliffhangers in a row... :P Oh well, I'm bursting with creative ideas now. :D Okay, so in case you didn't catch this, I was planning on updating this on October 19th, but editing took a while and schoolwork got in the way, and a lack of sleep on top of it all._

_Thanks for reading and (hopefully) reviewing!_


	28. Part Two: Chapter VII

**Part Two: Percy Jackson & The Forgotten Hero**

Chapter VII

When Lucie's vision came back into focus, she realized her head hurt really bad. The place she was in was isolated… but it wasn't really Tartarus. She was absolutely alone. Her hands were bound along with her feet. Her enchanted bow and quiver weren't slung across her back. She didn't have to feel inside her pockets to know that her back up weapons were gone. As a matter of fact, her jacket had been removed, as well as her minor possessions like rings, necklaces, her headband (actually her sword), and her communication earring.

The only clothes she had left on her was a very thin tank top, her jeans with out-turned pockets, and her grey and pink socks. The braid her hair had been was even taken out.

"Hello?" she hesitantly asked. "Where am I?"

As she expected, there was no answer. She glanced around her environment, looking for any indication as to where she was. There was nothing around her but pale white sand and a blue sky. If she were near the ocean, she would have noticed and gotten her nautical position, but… despite the deceiving appearance, this was no beach. It was more like a desert.

No matter how hard she blinked, the strange sight before her was still there. It made her feel weak and sad… this should have been an ocean. This should have been a place to cheer her up, not make her sad.

And then, it was as if the world shattered.

Lucie's eyes opened, and she realized the desert was really just a vivid dream… but she'd never dream something like that.

She was in a cage of some sort. It had large bars to hold her in. From their appearance, they weren't just celestial bronze. It appeared to be a unique mix of silver, imperial gold, and obviously, celestial bronze.

That wasn't the only thing she noticed, either. Lucie was stripped down as she was in her dream, not to mention bound, too.

"Hello? Can somebody please tell me what's going on?" she asked as she fumbled to sit up.

Then, from the shadows before her, a female figure appeared. She had long, elegant, wavy, and silky black hair and skin as pale as the moon. Her eyes were the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen. Her figure was curvy and slender at the same time. The figure was adorned in a blue Greek chiton and covered by a black cloak so dark, it appeared to be made of shadow itself. Lucie felt that she had stepped into a dream all over again.

"Who are you?" Lucie asked, looking at her with wonderment. That couldn't be her sister as a goddess… right?

"I am Nyx, the deity of Night, daughter of Chaos. I believe you know my son, Jay O'Connor. After all, you were travelling with him."

Lucie stiffened. That wasn't something she wanted to hear… nobody had any idea what side the primordial deities were on… Chaos' or the Olympians'.

"Speak, daughter of the sea. I know you wish to ask me something."

"I… uh…" she stuttered, feeling completely vulnerable. If she had to go up against Nyx unarmed…

She didn't want to think about that.

"Whose side are you on?" Lucie choked out, not looking at the ancient, powerful Greek figure.

"I am on my mother's side in most cases, but for this, I am indifferent. I apologize for the way I captured you and your friend, the daughter of Athena, but I had to remove my son. You wouldn't have offered him willingly, so I did what was required."

Lucie was pretty angry. "Why did you have to 'remove' Jay?"

Nyx narrowed her eyes. "I have the ability to change the Fates' prophecies, child. My son was doomed to die down here by the hands of Chaos. The Moirai are my children. It happens on occasion where I wish to change the planned course of events… but with a price. The price for this change is the cost of his memories of this life. At the moment, he is in the Underworld near the river Lethe."

"NO!" Lucie yelled, struggling against her bonds.

Nyx looked down to her with sadness. "I feel deeply sorry for this, Lucie Rook, but I cannot have this cruel place kill my son. You don't know what happens when one of his kind dies. If you knew, you would likely do as I'm doing, even with your sister at risk. Once you find her, you'll understand what happens… whenever she recovers from her insanity, of course."

Those words were like she'd been stabbed, but her stabber bandaged it.

_Once you find her_. That meant they would find her. The insanity part didn't sound like fun. From what she'd heard about the Giant war a couple years ago… the gods had multiple personalities and were insane. It didn't sound like fun. Not to mention, her sister possibly had a Roman side as well… and that meant she was juggling four different lives in her head, not just two.

"Are you saying that we could still find her, even without Jay?" Lucie asked hesitantly.

"It's a possibility. We won't know for sure until Jay's memories are gone, and I have fulfilled my end of the bargain."

"You can't do this," Lucie said, now doubting that hope she had.

"I very well can. You are too late."

_Hades, hear my prayer. I know you love Elysia, too… so if you can, please save Jay's memories…_ she begged. She put all her hope, misery, and effort into that. If it didn't work, nothing would.

…

Percy was sick of Tartarus. He wanted the sea breeze in his face, the warmth of the sun on his skin, to lay down on soft sand. He didn't want the never ending dark abyss with the potent smell of monsters and death around him.

It made him homesick. Granted, the weather wouldn't be like how he imagined, it was autumn, but… anything was better than Tartarus. Even the dreary Underworld was better.

Also, he felt like he wasn't a good leader down here. There was nowhere to go. He could only hope he'd find something helpful. Nothing had turned up so far, except that he was almost killed by sirens from the sea of monsters… It wasn't something he could have expected, but he was still disappointed with himself for not realizing it sooner.

"Guys, why don't we rest a while?" Adam suggested, glancing at the exhausted looking hunter.

"Don't stop for me," Shaw said. "I can handle myself down here."

"We need you in shape for fighting," Percy decided. "We'll stop here for a bit. In the meantime, Adam… why don't you share the story of how you saved Shaw and I?" he asked, taking a seat on the ground next to Shaw.

Adam nodded and sat next to Percy. He took a deep breath before saying, "It wasn't easy. When you started wandering towards the singing, I recognized sorcery right away. I guess I have a built in immunity to it or something. Shaw was not far behind you, and I tried to talk to you guys. When I grabbed Shaw's shoulder, she punched me in my face and ran further ahead. I tackled her and tried to put a spell on her, but she kicked me and my wand rolled pretty far away. Once I got it, I placed the deafness spell on her. I couldn't find you, so I freaked out. When I got closer to the siren, I realized you were only inches away from being eaten. I tugged you back, but you flipped me over… right onto the siren. I used my wand to stop the singing for a moment. It was just long enough for me to slap you and get you out of danger. It started up again and you stood up, so I punched you… I cast the deafness spell on you, too, and took care of the siren."

There was a long pause filled with tension. Percy couldn't believe that he'd done what Adam said. He felt pretty bad for it for a number of reasons. First of all, he was supposed to be the leader of this group, and he was the first to lead them right into a trap. Secondly, he had harmed one of his companions… and thirdly, he didn't even snap out of it to help Adam. He would have felt better about himself had he at least helped Adam kill the siren. Instead, Adam had to do it all alone. That wasn't very fair.

"Percy," Shaw started, "don't feel bad about what happened. It wasn't your fault…"

"I know," he replied. "But I'm sorry I lead you all into a trap."

Adam said nothing, but gave him a half-hearted smile.

A while passed, and Percy was thankful for the rest. He was almost sleeping, but it wasn't quite like that, either. It was like his entire body was resting, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. Actually, his mind was back at the ocean, at Camp Half-Blood.

"Percy?" a voice asked. He knew exactly whose it belonged to.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked, turning around.

And then he realized he really _was_ at his home, but _not_ at the same time. Gods could exist in multiple places at one time. Maybe he was experiencing that?

"How are you here right now?" she asked, giving him a warm hug.

"Uh… I'm not totally sure, but gods can exist in multiple places, I think."

"Seaweed brain," Annabeth laughed, pulling away. It was obvious that what Hecate did to them was already all over camp. "I'm sorry I didn't go on this quest. Chiron's been having me work on learning Elysia's history… and I think there's something you should know."

"What is it?" Percy asked, curious about what she could have found.

Annabeth's eyes darted all around her surroundings. "It's worse than we thought. Zinaida, Elysia's second life… well, let's just say she was sent to the Fields of Punishment."

With those words, Percy stiffened. "What happened after that?"

"Since Hades knew who she was, he had her removed from there and put into the Fields of Asphodel. He couldn't put her in Elysium. After that, an incident occurred, and she disappeared. Nobody knows where she went. Rumor had it that Chaos freed her and took her out into the mortal world."

"Huh? Then how was she reborn as Elysia?" Percy asked with his confused face.

"Because that rumor isn't what happened. Chaos dragged her to Tartarus… and left her there. This may be good or bad, depending… if she was as ruthless as Blackbeard, which she supposedly was, that may not be a good thing, but… her anger probably isn't directed at us. Most likely Chaos, since she left her daughter in that place. That probably means she's on our side."

"Hmm… how did you come across this information?"

"It's mostly just speculation from what the gods have said… it's all I can find."

"I guess that's the most accurate thing to go by, anyway," Percy muttered. "I can't believe that the goddess of Elysium went to the Fields of Punishment." That fact was a little mind-boggling. Chances were he'd never see Elysia the same way again. Percy really had no recollection of her, so… his impression wasn't that pretty. Then again, that was only one of her three lives… supposedly, she had been a self-sacrificing hero in both others. Percy would put off judging her until he could judge her in person.

"Annabeth, I probably should get back. Thanks for your information."

"Percy, you're always welcome. I love you," she said before kissing him on the cheek. "Now go back and save her, alright? I don't know about you, but I think we deserve some peace when we die."

Percy nodded before focusing back on Tartarus. Instantly, he returned. It seemed both Shaw and Adam were resting as well.

He sighed and stood. There should be someone guarding them.

…

"I'm worried about her," Rhea muttered, looking down at Lessa's pale frame. Her eyes particularly focused on the bloody bite in her leg. It wouldn't stop bleeding no matter what spell Rhea cast, and it didn't appear to be healing. She realized that her spells worked differently on a god than a demigod. There was no way to tell if the spells were actually doing anything.

"I am, too," Nico agreed, examining the bite. "This isn't healing. Her ichor is everywhere…" With a sigh, he tore a piece of his shirt off and tied it around Lessa's thigh in an attempt to stop the circulation in the leg.

"That tourniquet will probably only slow the bleeding. She'll need nectar or ambrosia," Rhea said exasperatedly. She was feeling miserable that she was useless in healing their fallen comrade. Her powers were usually something she could put her faith in, but… it was startling to be without them. She was vulnerable for the first time, and she was unable to help people.

Rhea wasn't the most approachable person. She was dark and creepy looking so most people didn't bother to talk to her. The people who did, Rhea clung to a bit. Only around them was she close to being like everyone else.

Not that she wanted to be like everyone else, or that she needed their acceptance or friendship, but she did want to feel like she could be accepted unconditionally with a few people. Now some of those people were in danger, and she had no means to save them. Lessa was proof of that.

It made her scared and nervous. Rhea hated both of those feelings since they only made her feel weak and unsure of herself. She wished that she could be able to do something right, but everything was getting in the way down here. Even her powers were draining.

Just as she was done feeling sorry for herself, an arrow whizzed past her face, just a few centimeters from her ear. Without much thought, she took her wand out and cast the spell she had once used long ago to conceal the girls while they took their shower to conceal Lessa.

Her eyes scanned the darkness, but she could not see where the arrow had come from. "Nico," she whispered.

"Yes?" he asked, standing up in an instant, detecting fear in her voice. He must not have noticed the arrow.

"We're under attack. Don't move too fast. They're shooting arrows," Rhea breathed silently. Why couldn't they be left alone?

Another arrow came flying Rhea's way, and she dodged to the left. With her sharp sight, she could detect a figure in the distance. She couldn't determine male or female from where she was. Nico shadow travelled out of Rhea's sight and attacked. Rhea cast a spell to illuminate her enemy, and then used a spell to slow her movements down by half.

But then, with one wave of her hand, Rhea's want flew off to her right and out of her vision. It simply vanished. Nico was frozen where he stood.

"You idiots," a very female voice said. "You've left quite the trail. Even an inexperienced tracker could have found you."

"Who are you?" Rhea questioned coldly, fury in her words.

"I am Ichnaea, goddess of tracking. You two are now going to tell me what you did with the daughter of Pan who was with you," she said, marching forward to get in Rhea's face. She dragged Nico by his arm.

"Ow," he muttered indignantly under his breath. The goddess hit his head hard, and he didn't quite lose consciousness, but he looked groggy.

Rhea looked to where Lessa had been. Maybe it would have been smarter to cast the spell on Nico and herself, as well. That way, they could see each other without a problem. Rhea would have to cast the "disenchantment" spell that removes all magic in the area so she could see Lessa again. First, she'd have to take care of the goddess.

"There was nobody else with us," she lied, but put all her might into the words. Being the daughter of the magic goddess gave her the ability to charmspeak. She hadn't ever really tried it out before, but now was as good a time as any.

For a moment, the goddess looked convinced. "No… there were three sets of tracks. I saw them."

"No, it's been just Nico and I… the daughter of Pan wandered off a long time ago. We couldn't find her," Rhea said slowly, enunciating every word as clearly as she could without breaking her concentration.

Ichnaea looked confused. "But…"

"Now, please let us go. Go back to wherever you came from and you never saw us," Rhea said, staring Ichnaea right in the eyes.

The goddess blinked rapidly, but let go of Nico and turned around and walked away, leaving the three of the demigods alone.

Or so Rhea thought.

When the goddess was safely far away, Rhea performed the disenchantment spell. "Nico," she began hesitantly. "Do you see Lessa anywhere?"

"Huh?" he asked, looking around, seemingly trying to clear his vision. "No. Is she still concealed?"

"No. I performed the spell right, I know it…" Rhea said, now furrowing her eyebrows.

Then Rhea realized there was a set of tracks leading towards the powerful dark magic that hadn't been there a few minutes ago. "Oh crap," Rhea said, staring at them. In the darkness, a little golden ichor gleamed.

…

"Pan? Pan!" Lessa shouted, following the strange apparition. "It's you, isn't it, dad?" she asked. She ran to keep up with the pace of her dad, or what she thought was her dad. He didn't really seem to acknowledge her presence. It was annoying to her.

"Dad!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Lessa kept on following him to no avail. She was utterly confused. Why did her leg hurt? What was her dad doing here? Why has nothing even acknowledged her presence?

Suddenly, she felt dizzy. Lessa began to fall backwards before being caught by somebody.

"Hello?" she asked, but it didn't sound like her voice. Something was off.

"Oh, thank the heavens!" a masculine voice said. The arms that caught her were made of steel. "You should be more careful. Next time you bite into a lotus flower, it might do something worse to you."

Lessa wanted to ask 'what,' but what came out of her mouth was, "Shut up, Ajax. Leave me be."

"Chiron would be disappointed in you," he said, looking Lessa directly in her face.

As she looked at the background, she realized that it wasn't Tartarus anymore. She wasn't sure where she was, but it looked like a peaceful island somewhere.

"Let go of me," Lessa said in a strange voice. It was like she had no control over herself any more. She twisted out of Ajax's grip and flipped him over. "Chiron won't hear about this. It was one lapse. You would have done it had I not done it first," she snapped. "Besides, you don't want Chiron to find out about that incident on our last training mission, do you?"

"Why are you so angry with me?" Ajax asked, grabbing her hand.

With a slap to his hand, she said, "Because we should be focusing on the quest. Hurry up and let's go."

"All right," Ajax said spitefully. He sighed and followed Lessa, who was walking in some random direction.

Then suddenly, she realized she had fallen on the ground, and she was in Tartarus, not the island. Had it been a dream? What was this?

"Lessa," a voice whispered. "Come to me."

"Elysia?" she asked, suddenly hopeful. She ran towards the sound of the voice. "Where are you?"

"Lessa?" a new voice asked from directly behind her.

She whipped around and tripped into empty air. If she kept falling like this, she'd lose more blood from her strange leg injury. "Dad? Was that you?"

"Lessa!" a voice snapped irritably. "Come here."

Again, the voice was behind her. She kept hearing choruses of her name being called in every direction before the dark place she was in began to spin, and she saw stars. She grew to be very dizzy and slow clumsy before she tripped once yet again, this time landing on her back. The wind was knocked out of her, and she let her eyes fall closed.

* * *

><p><em>Ha<em>_ppy to see an extremely early update? I had an overload of time yesterday to write, so I managed to get this out about two weeks early! Lol. Anyway, I really like what's starting to happen. You get to see how each of the groups have their own story line going on, even if they're all on the same quest. I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am._

_You know the drill. xD_

_1) What is your opinion on Nyx and Jay? Did you expect that coming?_

_2) What exactly is your opinion on Zinaida? (You still don't really know anything about her, so I know it's an early guess.)_

_3) What do you think is happening to Lessa? What do you think caused it?_

_Thanks for being such an awesome group of readers. Please review! Love you all. _


	29. Adoption Notice

I know this is very old and probably super out dated to all of you. I bet most people didn't even bother reading this. I know I wouldn't.

I'm really sorry about not updating. Somewhere down the line, I lost inspiration to write this. I still love the books like crazy, but... something changed for me while writing. I feel like the sequel was too much to work with. I should have left it with a better ending in part one and ended it there.

But I didn't. At that time, I was fully invested in writing this. I wasn't banking on the fact that I'd loose interest. I'm so sorry... this is awful of me. Many times since the last update, I've tried picking it up again and writing, but it's felt like writer's block on the entire thing. It wasn't for lack of ideas, but I couldn't bring myself to keep typing. I hated everything I wrote.

I know a lot of people loved this story. I certainly did! I would love to see it finished. I just can't do it. Does anyone else want to adopt it? I promise I'd read it. I'll even give you my ideas if you want. Just PM me if you want to proceed with this.


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